Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Afterlife
by PokemonGalaxy1009
Summary: A war between Heaven and Hell is about to take place. Zorua becomes Darkrai's apprentice and is forced to do unspeakable things, while Riolu, a human with amnesia, sides with the side of heaven. Riolu and Zorua become friends, but will their friendship last, or will it crumble away into the shadows of the abyss? Which side will win in the war?
1. Chapter 1: The Illusions

Chapter 1: The Illusions

It is a dark and calm night in the Pokemon World. Everyone is fast asleep in their own homes, waiting for the next day to come. However, out in the forest west of the Winter Ice Village came strange sounds. The forest trees began to rock back and forth violently as if a might blizzard is blowing through, but there is not blizzard. A few of the villagers heard the noises coming from outside and came out to see what the fuss is about.

Most of the villagers are wearing their coats and cloaks due to the cold. As the trees started to rock back and forth violently, the trees began to fall down to the ground, snapping into two pieces. As the trees fell to the ground, a massive wind storm blows through the village, causing the villagers to be blown off of the ground and land on their backs on the ground.

When one of the villagers landed hard on his back on the ground with his eyes cringing, the villager glows black and started to shrink. The cloak covers the identity of the Pokemon. The Pokemon said in a ticked voice, "Okay… that sucks!"

The Pokemon gets out of the cloak and it turns out that the Pokemon is a Zorua. As the villagers ran back into their homes during the harsh wind, Zorua is left outside, closing his eyes and shivering as the frigid wind blows throughout the entire village. Zorua opens his eyes with a serious look on his face and he says to himself, "This wind… I've never felt wind like this before. But, what the devil is causing it?"

When the wind finally calms and Zorua opens his eyes, he looks around at his surroundings, trying to see if there are any other villagers outside. But he sees no one outside. The wind is still blowing mildly as Zorua starts to run straight into the forest. As Zorua runs into the forest, he instantly glows black and transforms back into the Pokemon he previously was before the wind knocked him back, a Grovyle.

As Zorua ran through the forest trying to search for the main source of the problem another massive gust of wind blows throughout the entire forest once again but coming from the middle of the entire forest. A Riolu is out there fighting against a group of five shadowy figures. But they weren't any type of Pokemon known in the Pokemon World.

They are completely shadow black with blood red eyes and sharp black teeth. Whenever these things open their mouths, their mouths glow right red. They have sharp claws and they each have wings. Riolu has a frightened expression on his face as he tries to flee from the demons, but they keep on following them and flapping their wings, causing more wind to blow.

One of the demons tried to get a bite out of Riolu's right arm, but Riolu jumps back and punches the demon in the face. The demon hits his back on the ground, but the other two demons still try to go after Riolu. As Riolu tries to protect himself from the two demons, the one that got punched gets back up and flies back with the group and tries to attack Riolu.

Riolu punches one of the demons in the face again, but there are still two of them. Riolu tries to flee, but the demons keep Riolu from running away. Riolu has tears of fear rolling down from his eyes and he screams, "Somebody help…!"

But Riolu is unable to finish his sentence as one of the demons bites Riolu's right arm with their sharp teeth. Riolu screams in agony as he sees his blood dripping from his wound down to the snow. A massive wind blows throughout the whole area after that bite, causing a massive blizzard to form throughout the whole island.

Riolu looks right at the demon biting his right arm with a weak look on his face and he says, "What the hell are you…?" The demon doesn't say a word and the other two demons jump in and combine with the demon biting Riolu's right arm. Riolu's eyes widen as he sees the demon growing triple its size.

The demon now has six wings, and six eyes. Riolu is lifted into the air while the demon grew ten feet tall. Riolu has a frightened expression on his face as he sees the six eyes looking right at him. Riolu looks right at his right arm with a shocked expression in his eyes as he sees his skin tearing from the lift.

The demon grabs a hold of Riolu with its right hand and releases Riolu's right arm. The demon looks down at Riolu with a malevolent look on its face as it starts to slowly crush the life out of Riolu with its powerful hand. Riolu cringes his eyes as he feels the pressure from the crushing grip. Riolu gasps for air as he thought, "Why am I here?"

Before the demon could crush the life out of Riolu, a voice yells at the demon, "Just what the hell do you think you're doing," the demon looks down where he hears the voice and sees a Grovyle flying up straight towards the demons gut and he finishes with, "to that Pokemon?"

Black aura forms out of Grovyle's two blades on his elbows and he slashes right at the demon's stomach with Night Slash. The demon's eyes widen as it feels a massive two foot cut form on its stomach from the Night Slash. The demon loses his grip and causes Riolu to fall down onto the ground on his back.

As the demon starts walking back slowly from the force of the slash, Grovyle lands right next to Riolu and examines him. Grovyle has a worried expression on his face as he sees the severe wound on his arm. "This wound," Grovyle looks up at the demon who is now recovering from the force and he thought, "I need to get this Riolu some help before he loses too much blood. But," The demon starts walking straight towards Grovyle with a malevolent look on its face as Grovyle finishes with, "I need to take down this demon first. I can't lead it back to the village."

The two blades on Grovyle's arms start to radiate Black Aura again as he jumps up straight towards the demon again with a serious look on his face. But as he flies up straight towards it, the demon slams Grovyle with its palm and sends him flying back down to the ground. Right when Grovyle slams onto the ground, he instantly transforms back into Zorua.

Zorua gets back up onto his feet with a weak look on his face and he thought while looking up at the demon, "This isn't good. I'm not strong enough to defeat this thing," Zorua's look turned into a nervous look, "I guess I just got lucky with that Night Slash. But I'm not lucky now."

Zorua looks down at Riolu with a serious look, "I guess I have no other choice but to get you back to the village," Zorua looks back up at the giant demon, "with this one following me. I need to find someone stronger to…" Zorua's eyes widen as he sees the demon pushed back with a massive blast that passes Zorua's right side. The force from the blast send the demon falling onto its back and making it split back into three smaller demons.

Zorua looks back with a shocked expression on his face, "That blast, it can't be!" Zorua sees a group of three female Pokemon. In the group of three are Audino, Maractus, and Mienfoo. The tree Pokemon quickly run in front of Zorua and Riolu while the three demons got back up and are flying straight towards the group with blood thirsty looks on their faces.

Mienfoo looks back at Zorua and she says with a serious look on her face, "Let Audino heal Riolu's wound. You take her place and help us fight!" Zorua nods his head with a serious look on his face and he replies while he and Audino switches places, "O-okay."

While Audino heals Riolu's right arm with her Heal Pulse move, Zorua transforms into Riolu with black aura radiating out of the spikes coming from his hands. Maractus has a serious look on her face as she says while aiming both of her hands at the demons, "Here they come! Let's take them on one on one!" Maractus fires a volley of Pin Missiles at one demon and Mienfoo jumps into the air with a running head start and kicks the second demon in the face with a High Jump Kick.

While Mienfoo and Maractus take care of the two demons, Zorua is left with only one to deal with. Riolu grins with a confident look on his face and he says to the demon running straight towards him, "I hope you're ready, for I'm going to give you everything I've got!"

Riolu runs straight towards the demon with the black aura radiating out of his hands sharpening like blades. When they both came into contact, the demon tries to take a bite out of Riolu's right arm, but Riolu manages to avoid the bite and starts slashing away at the demon with a barrage of Night Slashes.

The forces of each blow pushes the demon back while Riolu keeps on swinging at the demon while keeping up with the forces blowing the demon back. Cut marks forms all over the demon's body as Riolu keeps on swinging his Night Slash. The demon starts to bleed out of those cuts all over its body after Riolu stops swinging at the demon.

Riolu grabs a hold of the demon's right arm with his right hand, lifts it up into the air, and slams it onto the ground behind him. As the demon's head slams onto the ground, Riolu lets go of the demon's arm and transforms back into Zorua. The demon's body falls down onto the ground with its head still on the ground.

Zorua had a shocked expression on his face as he sees the demon catch on black fire. Zorua remains speechless as he sees the demon slowly turn into dust. He looks right at Mienfoo and Maractus and sees the same thing happening to the demons that they fought. Zorua looks directly at the black fire and he asks, "What the hell is happening to them? Why did they suddenly catch fire?"

When Zorua looks right at the direction where Mienfoo, Audino, and Maractus are located, his eyes widen when he notices that they have disappeared. Not only is that but the space around Zorua and Riolu nothing but black fire.

The snowy ground below them has turned into charred land. Zorua looks right at Riolu's right arm and notices that the wound is still healing. Zorua looks away from Riolu and back around at his surroundings and he asks, "Where am I?"


	2. Chapter 2: Call of Underworld

Chapter 2: The Calling of the Underworld

Zorua and Riolu are both surrounded by black fire and Zorua's three friends have disappeared. Riolu is still knocked out on the ground with his arm slowly recovering. Zorua has a worried expression on his face as he asks, "This place… how did I end up here?"

While Zorua looks around at his surroundings, his eyes widen with shock as he sees an army of five thousand demons walking out of the fire, completely surrounding Zorua. Zorua looks right at the direction where Riolu is located and his eyes widen with fear as he sees Riolu getting back up and slowly transforming into a demon like all the others. Sweat rolls down Zorua's face as he looks around at the number of demons surrounding him.

The black fire's temperature increases fiercely, causing Zorua to sweat more. Zorua starts to pant as he asks, "What the hell is going on here? Where am I?" As the demons walked slowly towards Zorua like zombies, a dark, threatening voice answers to Zorua, "Welcome to the Underworld, Zorua."

A shadowy figure of a Pokemon walks out of the black fire and walks through the mob of demons. The only part of the Pokemon that wasn't shadowy was its long, wavy white hair. Zorua's eyes widen with fear as he sees the Pokemon standing before him in the middle of the mob. Zorua tried to transform into the Pokemon he is seeing, but he cringes his eyes as he feels his energy draining from his body. Zorua collapses to the ground on his stomach and pants deeply.

The Pokemon looks down at Zorua with a serious expression in his eyes as he says, "It's no use to transform into me, child. In this world, your energy is drained from your body. In other words," While Zorua tries to get back up onto his feet, the Pokemon steps of Zorua's back with his right foot, keeping Zorua pinned down to the ground, "you're completely defenseless here. You have no hope of escaping on your own will. You can only leave when I allow you to."

Zorua looks up at the Pokemon weakly and he asks, "Who the hell are you?" The Pokemon has the same serious look in his eyes as he replies, "I'm the prince of the Underworld, of course." Zorua's eyes widen with fear as he repeats the words that frightened him, "T-the Underworld… it can't be…"

The Pokemon releases Zorua from his hold and he says, "Zorua, I brought you here to tell you something important. You better listen up, for it involves Riolu." Zorua weakly looks up at the Pokemon and he asks, "What do you mean? What is so important to know about that Riolu?"

The Pokemon turns his back on Zorua, walks about five feet away from him with his hands behind his back and he answers, "The fact that Riolu is a threat. A threat to you all in the world above…" Zorua has a confused expression on his face as he asks, "What are you talking about? If he's a threat to us up there, than why are you're demons attacking Riolu?"

The Pokemon looks back at Zorua with its revealing eye glowing bright red and he replies, "I was trying to help you all. The fact is that Riolu is a threat to the Pokemon World, for he's…" The Pokemon caught himself from going any further and he turns his head away from Zorua.

Zorua asks with a serious expression in his eyes, "He's a what?" The Pokemon replies as the army of Demons turned back into the black fire, "Nothing…" The Pokemon looks back at Zorua, revealing his true form to him by making the shadows surrounding him form back into the shadows on the ground. Zorua's eyes widen with fear as he says, "It can't be! Y-you're…"

Before Zorua could finish his sentence, the black fire vanishes, and everything around him turns back into the Pokemon World surroundings. Zorua is lying down on the snowy ground as he opens his eyes and says the name; "Darkrai…"

Zorua is lying on the ground all alone. He slowly gets himself back up onto his feet and tries to find Mienfoo, Maractus, Audino, and Riolu. But they are nowhere to be found. Zorua manages to get back his strength after walking around in a circle in the snow. Zorua has a worried look on his face as he thought, "Did they leave me behind? Why would they do that?"

Zorua looks down at the snowy ground and notices a few spots of the ground are burned. "Judging by the look of the charred spots on the ground," Zorua looks at the direction where his village is located, "Mienfoo and the others left this area for quite a while now."

A trouble look forms on Zorua's face, "But why would they leave me…!" Zorua's eyes widen when he comes to the conclusion, "Is it possible that while I was sent to the Underworld, I…" Zorua gulps in hesitation at the thought and quickly starts to make a run for it to the Winter Leaf Village. As he ran through the forest, he instantly transforms into a Grovyle again, running as fast as he can back home. It starts to snow slowly.

While Zorua heads back home, Mienfoo, Maractus, and Audino are in their cabin. Their cabin is made out of wood and the windows have metal bars over them, for protection against enemy attacks. Riolu is lying down on Audino's bed, panting heavily as Audino uses her Heal Pulse move to close up Riolu's right arm.

Maractus looks right at Audino with a curious look in her eyes while sitting on her bed and asks, "So… what's the deal with Riolu's injury?" Audino has a worried look in her eyes as he replied while still focusing her healing energy into Riolu's arm, "The damage on his arm is far worse than I expected. The bite actually broke his arm and damaged the muscle tissues,"

Audino looks up at Maractus and Mienfoo as Mienfoo looks directly at Audino, "It'll take a lot of time in order for Riolu to recover, but if he sees me more often to heal his arm, he should be all right by three weeks."

Mienfoo has a concerned look on her face as she asks, "As for Zorua, are you sure he actually died?" Audino nods her head with a sad expression on her face and she replies, "I'm afraid so. After he fell over, I checked him for any signs of life. But,"

Audino looks up at Mienfoo with a look of concern, "his energy and soul was gone. I couldn't detect anything in his body." Mienfoo has a sad expression on her face as she asks, "What do you think the cause of death was? Do you think one of the demons actually killed him?"

Audino looks back down at Riolu's right arm with a puzzling look on her face and she replies, "I don't think so. There were no wounds on his body. No signs of actually getting killed by anyone of anything. It seems as though his…"

Before Audino could finish her sentence, she and her friends get startled when they hear the door knocking. Maractus gets up out of her bed with a calmer look on her face and she walks up to the door.

When she touches the doorknob, Riolu slowly opens his eyes and says weakly, "I guess you were wrong about Zorua, Audino…" Audino has a surprised expression on her face as she says, "Wh-what are you talking about?" Audino quickly looks right at the door as Maractus opens it and sees Zorua standing there.

Audino's and her friends' eyes widen in disbelief as they see the shivering Zorua standing there. Zorua asks while shivering, "Can I come in? It's really cold out here." Mienfoo runs up to Zorua with a smile on her face, pick him up, and give him a hug. While hugging him, she pulls him into the cabin and Maractus closes the door.

Zorua has a look of surprise in his eyes as he asks, "What's going on here?" Mienfoo places Zorua back down on the ground on his feet, blushes with tears of joy rolling down her cheeks, and she asks, "Zorua! I'm so glad that you're alive!"

Audino looks directly at Zorua with the same look of disbelief on her face and she asks, "Z-Zorua! How is it possible that you're here?" Zorua, Mienfoo, and Maractus looks directly at Audino as she continues, "I checked you for signs of life after you fell over, but I couldn't find any at all."

Zorua has a look of concern on his face as he replies, "I figured that would be the reason why you all left me out there," Zorua has a serious look on his face as he says, "The truth is that I was taken to the Underworld. Those demons that we fought were from the Underworld."

Mienfoo, Maractus, and Audino's eyes widen with fear as they all repeat the words, "The U-Underworld!" Audino asks with the same expression on her face, "But why were you sent to the Underworld? It doesn't make any sense?"

Zorua replies with a concerned look on his face, "For some reason, the prince of the Underworld summoned me down there. He was warning me about something." Audino asks while her focus on the Heal Pulse vanishes, "You've seen the prince of the Underworld face to face? What kind of Pokemon was it?"

Zorua replies with a look of concern on his face, "It was Darkrai," Zorua's look on his face turned to serious one, "For some reason, he was warning me about Riolu over there." Audino asks with a look of concern on her face, "What was Darkrai warning you about?"

Before Zorua could answer Riolu answers instead, "I'm guessing Darkrai warned you about me being in this world, huh?" Riolu looks right at Zorua from where he lies and Riolu continues, "I guess he came up with some type of lie about me being a threat to this world, right?"

Zorua has a surprised look on his face as he hears Riolu's words. Zorua asks with a curious look on his face, "Who are you?" Riolu replies with a weak smile on his face, "I'm not a Pokemon if that's what you're wondering."


	3. Chapter 3: The Deal

Chapter 3: The Deal

Everyone in the room looks right at Riolu with a look of shock on their faces after they heard Riolu say, "I'm not a Pokemon if that's what you're wondering." Zorua looks right into Riolu's eyes from where he stands and he asks with a serious expression on his face, "Are you saying that you're one of those demons from the Underworld?"

Riolu shakes his head and he replies, "If that were the case, than why would I be trying to flee from those demons and fight against them?" Zorua has the same expression on his face as he asks, "Darkrai was going to tell me what you really are. But he backed off for some reason. I'm assuming it's because of this exact reason. So what are you, Riolu?"

Riolu closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opens his eyes, he replies, "I'm actually a human," Mienfoo's eyes widen with shock and she asks, "Y-you're a human? No way!" Zorua looks right at Mienfoo with a confused expression on his face and he asks, "What's a human?"

Maractus and Audino join in with Zorua's question and they ask, "Yeah… what is a human?" Mienfoo looks at everyone as she answers, "I've been studying about this kind of subject. Besides this galaxy, there are millions of other galaxies in the universe. Since Riolu says he's a human, I'm guessing he must be from the Milky Way Galaxy."

Zorua has an uninterested look on his face while Maractus and Audino have a look of mesmerize in their eyes. Zorua asks with a serious look on his face, "Than mind explaining to us how you got to our world?" Riolu has a troubled look on his face as he replies, "I'm afraid I've lost my memory on that subject…"

Mienfoo, Audino, and Maractus looks right at Riolu with a concerned look on their faces and Audino asks, "You mean like amnesia?" Riolu nods his head and he replies, "I suppose so. The only thing I can remember is waking up in the Underworld, being chased down by those demons."

Audino has a look of worry in her eyes as she asks, "How long have you been in the Underworld?" Riolu replies with a weak look on his face and his eyes strangely closing slowly, "About … two…" Riolu shuts his eyes and falls into instant sleep.

Audino places her hand on Riolu's forehead and has a concerned look on her face when she feels the heat radiating off of Riolu's forehead. "Oh dear… Riolu has a high fever!" Mienfoo, Maractus, and Zorua rush to Audino's side.

The two girls have concerned looks on their faces, but Zorua has a serious expression in his eyes. Audino looks at everyone and says, "We need to get Riolu's fever down as fast as we can. Mienfoo, I need you, Maractus, and Zorua to head back out into the forest and see if you can find any Rawst Berries. I need at least ten to bring down the fever."

Mienfoo and Maractus nod their heads in agreement, but Zorua just closes his eyes and sighs. The three girls look right at Zorua with confused expression on their faces and Audino asks, "What's with the sigh, Zorua?" Zorua opens his eyes and he replies, "Do I really need to go out there and find the Rawst Berries? I'm still pretty exhausted after fighting against those demons today."

Audino has a calm look on her face as she tells Zorua, "I see what you mean, but we need at least three Pokemon to find the Rawst Berries. Since its winter time, the Rawst Berries will be hard to find, so there'll have to be at least three Pokemon searching, "Audino looks down at Riolu, "I can't come along, for I need to try to keep Riolu's fever down long enough while healing his right arm,"

Audino looks back at Zorua with a serious look in her eyes, "and with the short amount of time we have, there'll not be enough time for us to find a third Pokemon to join Mienfoo and Maractus. Since you're here Zorua, you're the only one I can count on to take my place in the search."

Zorua closes his eyes and sighs again. When he opens his eyes, Zorua replies to Audino's request, "I guess I have no other choice than to join the search," Zorua looks right at Mienfoo and Maractus, "Well I guess we better get going and search for those berries."

While the three girl smile at him, Zorua thinks in his head, "How the hell did that happen?" Audino replies to Zorua, "I appreciate it, Zorua." Zorua turns his back on Audino and faces the door way and he replies, "Yeah, yeah…"

After Zorua leaves the cabin and closes the door from behind, Audino says to Mienfoo and Maractus with a concerned look on her face, "You all might have to split up for this mission if we wish to help Riolu quickly. Plus, if you sense anything wrong with Zorua, make sure you get to him and bring him back to the cabin."

Mienfoo and Maractus nod their heads with serious expressions on their faces and Mienfoo says, "I'll be sure to bring him back here if he collapses again," Mienfoo looks directly at Maractus, "I'll be sure to respond to Zorua's deal if it happens again. Maractus, you just keep on searching for as much berries as you possibly can."

Maractus nods her head in agreement and they both face the doorway. They both exit the cabin and close the door from behind. After they left the cabin, Audino once again focuses her Heal Pulse on Riolu.

Mienfoo, Maractus, and Zorua are standing right by the snow covered forest, the two girls looking at it uneasily. Zorua looks right at Mienfoo with a serious expression on his face and he asks, "What's wrong with you two?" Maractus looks right at Zorua with the same expression on her face and she replies, "For this mission, we all need to split up. However,"

Maractus looks back at the forest, "I'm detecting a lot of activity from within the forest. A dark activity…" Zorua looks back at the forest with a concerned expression on his face and he asks, "So you're saying that those demons are wandering the forest now?"

Mienfoo and Maractus nod their heads in seriousness. Zorua sighs deeply with his eyes closed. When he opens his eyes, he says while transforming into Riolu, "Well now, I guess we better get going and get this over with."

Maractus looks right at Zorua with a confused expression on her face and she asks, "Why did you just transform into Riolu? Don't you remember that the demons were after Riolu before?" Zorua nods his head with a confident grin on his face and he replies, "Of course I know that. I'm going to have some fun out there while searching for the Rawst Berries."

Zorua runs into the forest before Maractus can say her next sentence. After he left the two girls behind, Maractus looks right at Mienfoo and asks, "What do you see in Zorua, anyway?" Mienfoo doesn't reply but just blushes.

She enters the forest in a different direction without answering Maractus. Maractus sighs deeply as she thought, "Oh sure… I have to be the last one to enter…" Maractus calms herself down and runs into the forest in a different direction.

While Zorua runs through the forest in search for the Rawst Berries, he has black aura in the shape of two blades forming out of each spike on the top of the hands in case of any demon attacks. Zorua has a troubled expression on his face, "This is such a pain… why do I have to sacrifice my life just to save the life of someone who could be a threat?"

The snow starts to fall thicker as Zorua starts to rush through the forest, his breath showing in the air as he breathes. Zorua has a shocked expression in his eyes as he feels the presence of darkness all around him.

He stops running and gets himself into the battle position. While Zorua looks around at his surroundings, he hears a voice say from behind him, "Why did you transform into Riolu, Zorua?" Zorua quickly looks back and sees a demon slowly walking towards him. Zorua faces the demon and crosses his arms as if in the defensive position.

Zorua asks with a serious expression on his face, "So you've already known that it's me, huh? And since when can you demons talk?" The demon walks up to Zorua without showing any signs of attacking and says to Zorua,

"You're the only one that can understand what we say not, Zorua, for Lord Darkrai sent you to the Underworld for a reason. Since you were in the Underworld, you can understand how we talk." Zorua transforms back into his original form and he asks, "What are you all doing here?"

The demon gives the other four demons a hand signal to come out and they all walk out slowly, surrounding Zorua. The demon puts his hand back behind his back and he replies, "We are here to find Riolu. But, he is no longer in the forest. Do you by any chance know where he is?"

Zorua closes his eyes as he replies, "I actually have no idea," Zorua opens his eyes, "Perhaps he's escaped from the forest." The demon has a disappointed expression on his face as he says, "Zorua… you failed to gain our trust,"

the demons gives the other four demons the signal to attack, "We have no other choice but to knock you out!" Zorua quickly transforms into Riolu again as the four demons form in the demon that talked to Zorua.

As the demons formed together and grew, Zorua quickly makes a run for it deeper into the forest. The massive sized demon lets out a calling roar as it grows taller than twelve foot trees and starts to chase down Zorua.

Zorua looks back with a shocked expression on his face as he sees the giant demon catching up to him with its right hand reaching down. Zorua looks straight ahead and he thought with a frightened look in his eyes, "This is not good… I don't have enough power to destroy this demon. Mienfoo and Maractus are far away from where I am,"

Zorua looks back at the giant demon as he ran, "And this bastard has more power than the last fusion of three!" Zorua looks straight ahead and sees the same huge open circle that's in the center of the forest. Zorua has a worried expression on his face as he thought, "Oh no! It's the opening of the forest! This is not,"

Zorua runs out into the opening and sees the mob of demons up in the sky, looking down at Zorua with malevolent looks on their faces. Zorua looks around at his surroundings and his eyes widen with fear as he sees the trees surrounding him turn into black fire like they did before. Zorua looks down at the ground and watches as the snow melts away and reveals the same dried land as in the Underworld.

Zorua keeps on running as fast as he can as the giant demon appears from the fire behind Zorua and continues to chase him down. The giant demon stops running and stands there as the flying demons fly down straight towards Zorua all at once. Zorua stops running and looks at the demons with a frightened look on his face.

All of the demons flying down straight towards Zorua open their mouths widely with blood thirsty looks in their eyes. Zorua closes his eyes with fear and ducks down on the ground with his paws over his head. After Zorua ducks with a frightening shiver flowing throughout his entire body, all of the demons stopped in their place.

Zorua opens his eyes and looks up at the frozen demons. Zorua has a confused expression in his eyes as he thought, "What the hell happened to them? Why are they just frozen there?" A voice replies ten feet behind Zorua, "I did this, Zorua…" Zorua looks back with a shocked expression on his face and he sees Darkrai just standing there with a serious expression in his eyes.

Zorua stands back up with a scared look on his face and he asks, "Why have you taken me back into the Underworld?" Darkrai replies while looking to his right, "This is not the Underworld. We are still in the living world."

Zorua looks to where Darkrai is looking and his eyes widen as he sees a lonely dead tree just standing there with a shadow black sheath hanging from the branch with a sword in it. Zorua and Darkrai look back eye to eye and Darkrai says with a serious expression on his face, "These demons all disobeyed my orders. I need your help eliminating them all."

Zorua asks with a confused expression on his face, "Wh-what do you mean they disobeyed your orders? Why are they here?" Darkrai replies while looking back at the lonely tree, "All in good time, Zorua. Just grab that sword there and I'll grant you the strength to destroy these demons that will try to kill you."

Zorua looks back at the sheath with a worried expression on his face and he says, "Yeah… but why are you doing this for me?" Darkrai looks back at Zorua and says, "Never mind that now. Just grab the sword. If you don't then I'll allow the demons to kill you and everyone else on this island."

Zorua looks back at the tree with a worried expression on his face and he starts to slowly walk towards the lonely dead tree. As Zorua walks toward the tree he thought, "Darkrai must be serious about this. But," Zorua stands right in front of the sheath, staring at it with a worried expression on his face, "What will happen if I grab a hold of the sword? Will I just become a…!"

Before he can finish his sentence, he has a shocked expression on his face as he sees his hand grab a hold of the hilt and removing the sheath from the branch. Zorua has a frightened expression on his face as he feels a surge of black aura explode from out of his entire body, completely canceling his transformation and turning him back to his original form.

After his body became normal, Zorua screams in pure agony as the sheath and sword form into his body like a spirit. Zorua's fangs steadily grew sharper, his claws grew sharper, the pupils of his eyes went into a vertical diamond shape, and two small horns grow out from the top of Zorua's head.

As the black aura grew larger like a wild fire, Zorua looks up at Darkrai with a painful look on his face and he asks with his voice becoming like a demon voice, "What have you done to me?"

Darkrai just looks down at Zorua with a malevolent look on his face, "You have signed the deal, Zorua. You will do what I tell you and I shall give you ultimate power. Your first task," Darkrai vanishes from the area, followed by the tree and he finishes before the demons regained mobility, "is to kill all of the demons in this area."

As the demons all flew straight down towards him, Zorua lets you a menacing howl that causes a massive shockwave of black aura to rip through the area. The demons surrounding Zorua have shocked expressions on their faces as they felt the powerful impact of Zorua's howl, causing them to have holes pierce through their stomachs and backs.

As all of the flying demons turned into black dust, Zorua looks back at the giant demons with a malevolent look on his face and he says to the giant demon, "Your Lord is very displeased with your actions. You have failed your true mission and for disobeying Lord Darkrai,"

Zorua transforms into Darkrai with shadow black hair and blood red eyes, "you shall be eliminated!" The giant demon has a shocked expression on its face as it sees Zorua up in the air, staring it straight in the eyes. Zorua pierces his claws into the demon's face to hold himself in place.

The demon's eyes widen as it asks, "L-lord Darkrai? What have we done wrong?" Zorua replies with tears of blood rolling down his cheeks, "For trying to kill me." The demon's eyes widen with fear as it sees its own nightmares from within Zorua's glowing red eyes.

As the demon stares into Zorua's eyes, its whole body catches black fire with red glowing cracks forming all over its body. Zorua lets go of the demon's face and drops to the ground on one foot and knee with his back turned on the giant demon.

As Zorua transformed back into its original body, the demon shatters like glass with blood pooling and exploding out of its body like a giant tidal wave. When Zorua looks back at the black fire engulfed blood, he hears Darkrai's voice say, "Very good, Zorua. You're first job is complete."

After the black aura vanishes from Zorua's body and he turns back to normal, Zorua collapses and is knocked out completely. After Zorua collapses, Darkrai's voice continues on while the black fire slowly vanishes, "You'll be forever my apprentice, Zorua. Since the sword has actually accepted your soul, you are the…"

Darkrai's voice vanishes completely and the black fire vanishes completely. Zorua opens his eyes weakly and he thought, "Darkrai…" Zorua closes his eyes and is knocked out in the snow.


	4. Chapter 4: The Tale

Chapter 4: The Tale

The snow continues to fall as Zorua lies in the middle of the opening still knocked out. As he lies there, Mienfoo rushes into the opening and cries out Zorua's name. But Zorua does not reply. Mienfoo looks at the piles of ashes covering most parts of the opening, "There's no question about it. These are the ashes of the demons. But,"

Mienfoo is looking down at Zorua, standing right next to him with a worried expression on her face, "Did Zorua did this all on his own? Did he defeat all of these demons by himself?" Mienfoo kneels down and grabs a hold of Zorua's body.

When she gets him off of the ground and over her right shoulder, she starts to make a run for it back into the forest, getting out of the opening. After she leaves with Zorua, Darkrai appears from the shadows with a serious expression on his face.

"Zorua… that power you have received is a gift from me to you. You can use that power whenever you like. But remember this," Darkrai closes his eyes, "If you don't do as I say from now on, I'll force that power to take control of you."

Darkrai turns his back on the direction that Mienfoo went and disappears into the shadow once more. After he leaves the area, wind blows back through the area as if the disturbance in the area has finally vanished. The piles of ash vanish into the ground.

It takes Mienfoo twenty minutes to get back to her cabin. When she opens the door and gets inside, Audino looks right at Mienfoo and she asks, "So… did it happen again?" Mienfoo has a concerned expression on her face as she replies, "No. There are signs of life in him, but he's knocked out," Mienfoo looks down at Zorua's face, "He hasn't woken up yet."

Audino looks right at Mienfoo's bed and she says, "Place Zorua on your bed for now. I have something very interesting to tell you." Mienfoo nods her head, lays Zorua on her bed, and walks to Audino. When she gets to her, Audino says, "It's Riolu,"

Audino looks down at Riolu's face, "He's been talking in his sleep. But the words he's been saying is troubling me." Mienfoo asks with a troubled look, "What has Riolu been saying?" Audino replies with a serious expression on her face, "He's been screaming slightly as well. It's like he was being chased by something. He also kept on repeating the words Underworld, Darkrai, demons, and…"

Before she can finish her sentence, the door opens and Maractus comes walking in. Maractus has twenty Rawst Berries in her arms. Audino has a relieved look on her face as she says to Maractus, "Good work. That should be plenty of berries to recover Riolu's fever. He should also be able to wake up too."

Audino stops using her Heal Pulse on Riolu and says to Maractus while standing back up, "Place those berries on the table over there. I'll make those into Rawst Berries into a juice so Riolu can drink it." Maractus nods her head and places all of the Rawst Berries on the table top right by the front door and there's a window on top of the table.

While Audino goes to the table and brings out a bowl to put the Rawst Berries in she says to Mienfoo and Maractus, "As I was saying to Mienfoo before, Riolu was talking and screaming in his sleep. Riolu was only saying the words: Underworld, Darkrai, demons, and something called Hell Spirit Blade."

Mienfoo and Maractus have confused expressions on their faces as they ask, "The Hell Spirit Blade? What's that?" Audino replies while crushing the berries in the bowl with her hands, "It's one of the legendary swords of the Afterlife. The Hell Spirit Blade is a spirit blade that forms into the host's body. However, there is only one type of Pokemon the blade will accept,"

the berries become juice and Audino pours the juices in a cup, "The only type of Pokemon that it'll accept is one that has made a deal with Darkrai." As Audino walks towards Riolu with the Rawst Berry juice in the cup, Maractus asks, "How do you know so much about the two blades of the Afterlife, Audino?"

Audino helps lift Riolu's head up in the reclined position with her left arm which got Riolu to slightly open his mouth and she places the lips of the cup up to Riolu's lips and pours the juice down slowly into Riolu's mouth and she says, "Let's just say I've been studying about the legends of the afterlife,"

The cup empties and Riolu starts to slowly open his eyes, "But I'll talk to you all about that later. Riolu's waking up." But when Riolu opens his eyes partly, he says out of nowhere with a dazed look on his face, "N-no… don't… kill… them…"

After Riolu opens his eyes and regains his normal face, he sees Audino, Mienfoo, and Maractus looking right at him with looks of concern on their faces. Audino asks, "What do you mean by that, Riolu? Who was going to kill who?"

Riolu has a look of concern on his face as he says, "I don't know how to explain it, but I had a strange dream involving," Riolu looks directly at Zorua, "Zorua." Mienfoo asks with a look of worry on her face, "About Zorua? What was he doing in your dream?"

Riolu replies with a serious expression on his face, "For some reason, I saw Zorua going into a murderous rampage and killing Pokemon left and right," Riolu stops going further and just says, "But it was just a dream. I'm sure Zorua is not like that."

Mienfoo looks back at Zorua with an adoring smile on her face and she says, "You better believe it. I know Zorua isn't that type of Pokemon." While Mienfoo and Maractus looks at Zorua, Riolu just stares at Zorua with a troubling look on his face and he thought, "This feeling…"

Audino looks down at Riolu with a look of curiosity on her face, "Is everything all right, Riolu?" Riolu looks up at Audino with a calm look on his face and he replies, "I'll tell you about it later. Besides," Riolu looks right at Zorua and says, "Zorua is waking up." Audino looks directly at Zorua and sees him waking up slowly.

While Zorua slowly opens his eyes, Riolu thinks with a troubled look on his face, "Zorua… why am I feeling the spirit blade's aura radiating out of your body?" After Zorua opens his eyes all the way, he looks right up at Mienfoo and smiles. Mienfoo smiles back at Zorua and give him a hug on the bed.

As she hugs Zorua, Riolu thinks with a troubled look on his face, "My dream can't be right. Those two seem so close…" While Riolu stares at the two, Audino asks in a whisper with a troubled look on her face, "What are you thinking about, Riolu? What do you mean by that?"

Riolu looks up at Audino with a shocked expression on his face and he sees Audino's palms now hovering over his face with the Heal Pulse move still going. "So you heard my thoughts with that move, huh?" Riolu looks straight at Zorua and Mienfoo and he thought to where Audino can only hear,

"My dream involves you, Zorua, and your two teammates over there. I don't know if this all a coincidence, but…" Riolu closes his eyes and explains to Audino about his dream. After he finishes his thought, Audino replies back with a look of shock on her face by transmitting her words into the Heal Pulse technique, "That's impossible! That dream can't be right!"

Riolu has a troubled expression on his face as he thought to Audino, "I suppose I can tell you who I am and you can tell Mienfoo and Maractus later. Let me just start by saying that I've been trapped in the Underworld for about two months. I was on the run, trying to find the blade that you called the Hell Spirit Blade."

Audino has a surprised expression on her face as she replies, "Why were you in the Underworld, though?" Riolu replies while closing his eyes with a natural look on his face, "I'll explain it to you if you close your eyes and keep a straight face. We don't want Mienfoo and Zorua to know that we are talking in our thoughts,"

Audino closes her eyes and calms down, "Audino, I'm a human of the Milky Way Galaxy. I'm afraid I don't have any memory of why I was sent to the Underworld. The only thing I remember is waking up and finding myself being chased down by the demons of the Underworld. However, something told me to hunt down the Hell Spirit Blade and take it away from the Underworld. I still don't remember where that voice came from, but the one thing I know is that I was probably sent there to take the sword away from Darkrai…"

Before Riolu can finish his thought, he and Audino hear Zorua ask, "How's Riolu doing, Audino?" Both Riolu and Audino open their eyes and Audino replies, "His fever has gone down. But he still has a long way to go before the wound on his right arm recovers."

Riolu looks down at his right arm and his eyes widen when he sees the puncture would, revealing the muscles. Riolu has a calmer look on his face as he says to Audino, "I appreciate all that you've done, Audino. But…" Riolu places his left hand over his right arm and he says, "Why don't you take a break and let me take care of my arm."

When Audino looks down at his left hand, her eyes widen with shock as she sees white aura flowing out of Riolu's left palm and forming into his right arm. As the white aura went into Riolu's wound, it starts to close itself up at a slow rate, but far faster than what Audino is capable of doing on her own.

Audino thinks while canceling her Healing Pulse, "What kind of healing technique is he using? I've never seen anything like it! But," Audino focuses on the white aura coming out of Riolu's left palm and she thinks with a surprised expression in her face, "That white aura he's using is so powerful. Where did he get such power?"

While the three girls look right at the white aura with surprised expressions on their faces, Zorua is looking right at Riolu with a mesmerized expression on his face and he thinks, "Riolu… that white aura of yours can't be natural. Does that mean," Darkrai's voice comes into Zorua's head and he replies, "That's right, Zorua. He is indeed a threat."

Zorua has a serious expression on his face as he thinks to where only Darkrai can hear, "Why are you in my head, Darkrai?" Darkrai replies in a serious tone, "I'm here because I have a task for you accomplish. However, it will not be easy for you to accomplish." Zorua asks Darkrai, "What do you have in mind?"

After Darkrai tells Zorua his task, Zorua has an appalled look in his eyes and he replies, "N-no way! You want me to…!" Before Zorua could finish his sentence, Darkrai replies, "That's correct, but only when you find an opening to where no one can find you."

Zorua replies with a serious look in his eyes, "I d-don't know if I can do that… I mean they are…" Darkrai interrupts by saying in a serious tone, "You don't have a choice in the matter, Zorua. Remember, you signed the deal by taking my sword. If you don't do as I say, I can easily kill you and take you down to the Underworld to suffer for all eternity. So what's it going to be?"

Zorua closes his eyes and tries to calm down from the outside, but from the inside of his soul, he is staring at Darkrai face to face. Zorua replies while in his demon form, "I guess I have no other choice, Lord Darkrai. If that's what I must do, then I'll do it."

Darkrai says to Zorua with a serious expression on his face, "This'll be a difficult task, but you must be sure to be in a different form. Use my form when you're about to finish the job. Got it?" Zorua nods his head and he replies, "I understand… but you want me to take care of the others in town as well?"

Darkrai nods his head and he replies while disappearing into the shadows, "Yes… just be sure to use my form as many times as you can." After Darkrai disappears, Zorua thinks in his head with a troubled expression on his face, "What have I done?"


	5. Chapter 5: Darkness

Chapter 5: Darkness of the Underworld

It has been two weeks since Riolu and Zorua first met. Over the past two weeks, Riolu and Zorua formed an Exploration Team along with the Exploration Team of Mienfoo, Maractus, and Audino, Team ClashHearts. But during those two weeks, a number of villagers have been getting killed by a murderous Pokemon each night.

However, there is only two Pokemon who did manage to see its identity and the Pokemon are actually Zorua and Riolu. Now the two Exploration Team members are in Team ClashHearts's cabin, trying to come up with a good plan of where to find this murderer in question. Zorua, Riolu, and Team ClashHearts are standing around a wooden table.

Zorua says with a serious look on his face, "The Pokemon I saw killing the villagers is a Pignite. I saw him use his fire attacks to torch the Pokemon alive. However," Zorua looks directly at Riolu and Riolu continues,

"I'm afraid during the murders of this village, there was another village under attack as well. That Pokémon's identity is still unknown at the moment. So in order to figure out that Pokémon's identity, I'll have to go to that village on my own while Zorua stays in this village. But I'll be going on my own,"

Riolu looks right at Mienfoo and her friends, "As for you three, if Pignite actually returns, you and Zorua can fight against Pignite if at all possible." Mienfoo has a look of concern on her face as she asks, "Are you sure you can handle this other Pokemon on your own? I mean,"

Mienfoo looks right at Zorua as she finishes, "Why not take Zorua along with you?" Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he says, "The more you have to fight Pignite the better. If you lower your force power, there's no telling what will happen to you all. Besides…"

Riolu looks away from Zorua and the others and looks at the direction of where the next village is located, "with the power I have, I should be able to manage on my own." Riolu looks back at Zorua and the others again,

"Thanks to the training we did up until now, I've gotten a lot stronger. So I should be able to take care of my opponent, even if I were to run into any of the Demons of the Underworld, I can take them with my own power."

Riolu clenches his fists and he says to Zorua and Team ClashHearts, "Anyway, I got to get going to the next village, you three just take care of our home village," Riolu looks back at Zorua with a serious look in his eyes, "Just don't get killed… Team ClashHearts… Zorua…" Riolu disappears from where he stands and Zorua and Team ClashHearts are left behind in their cabins.

Riolu reappears in the forest covered with snow and starts to make a run for it to the next town. He thinks with a serious expression in his eyes, "It'll probably be best that I leave Zorua with Mienfoo and the others. I don't know why but I can feel the Hell Spirit Blade from within Zorua's soul,"

Riolu looks around at his surroundings as he ran; "I've got to be around here now. Sure my power has increased since the first time I met Zorua and the others, but it doesn't compare to the powers of a fusion of demons." Riolu looks straight ahead and he sees the other village up ahead.

Riolu stops running and he jumps straight up into the snow covered trees. When he got up into the trees, he starts jumping from branch to branch, slowly getting to the village without being seen by others. "I need to stay hidden if I wish to find out who this other murderer is. If it comes out and starts attacking the village, I'll jump in and stop it from killing anyone here,"

Riolu reaches the end of the forest, looking down at the village from the snow covered treetops. Riolu closes his eyes and the two aura detectors on the sides of his head lifts up into the air with meager amounts of blue aura flowing out of them.

When Riolu opens his eyes his eye color turned to the color blue with meager amounts of aura flowing out of his eyes. Riolu has a serious look on his face as he thinks, "With my Aura Eyes in play, I should be able to see every square inch of this village without having to turn my head."

While Riolu keeps a sharp eye out on the other village, Zorua and Team ClashHearts are up in the treetops right by their village. While they were in the treetops, explosions of fire burst from the middle of the village, causing the villagers in the area to scream at the top of their lungs.

Zorua has a serious expression on his face as he says, "Pignite's attacking the village again! Let's get him!" Zorua instantly disappears from where he stood and reappears on the ground, running into the village. Mienfoo, Maractus, and Audino follow Zorua from behind.

Zorua has a serious expression on his face as he thought while running towards the giant tower of fire and passing by the running villagers, "Pignite... you…" Zorua reaches the scene and is standing before the giant fire tower reaching up to the sky.

Zorua looks right at the center of the tower on the ground and sees Pignite standing there, staring down at Zorua with a malevolent look on his face. Pignite grins malevolently as he says, "So you must be Zorua, Lord Darkrai's apprentice…"

After he says that Mienfoo and her team just enters the village square without hearing what Pignite said. Zorua has a look of shock on his face as he thought, "How the hell does he know that?" Zorua asks with a serious look in his eyes, "Who the hell are you?"

Pignite grins and he thought, "Well… I guess I better play my cards right." Pignite replies, "I'm Pignite, the mass murderer of the Underworld!" Mienfoo has a shocked expression on her face when she sees the flames turn to the color blue and black. Maractus's eyes widen with fear when she sees Pignite's claws and teeth growing sharper from within the fire.

Zorua has a serious expression on his face as he thought, "I see… so Darkrai must have sent Pignite to this world to challenge me. But…" Zorua looks back at Mienfoo and her friends with a worried expression on his face and he thinks, "Could it be that…"

Zorua looks back at Pignite with a serious expression on his face and he says, "So you were sent here from the Underworld, huh? For what reason?" Pignite has a serious expression on his face as he replies, "I have no reason to tell any of you… since you all are going to die!"

Pignite laughs like a demon as the fire tower shrinks to Pignite's size, forming around him like a shield. Pignite stares down at Zorua and he says in the Underworld language that only Zorua can understand, "If you don't take this battle seriously, Zorua, you and one of your friends there are going to die tonight!"

Zorua's has a shocked expression in his eyes as he thought, "I see now… well if that's the case." Zorua closes his eyes and he transforms into Riolu with blade shaped black aura flowing out of the two spikes on the tops of his hands. Zorua points his right arm at Pignite and he says, "We'll take you down, Pignite…!"

Before Zorua could finish his sentence, Pignite disappears from where he stood and reappears right behind Audino. Mienfoo, Maractus, and Zorua look back in horror as they see black aura explode form out of Pignite's eyes, nose, and mouth, and form into Audino's body.

Zorua's eyes widen with shock as he thinks, "Oh hell!" After the black aura forms into Audino, Pignite's body falls to the ground and turns to instant black dust. But all over Audino's body there are black and blue flames.

Audino is just standing there, laughing hysterically like a demon with her back turned on Mienfoo, Maractus, and Zorua. Audino looks back at Mienfoo and the others and she says, "Well now… shall we begin?" Audino's skin is burned off by the black and blue flames, only revealing the bones and muscles. The fire is the new skin for Audino.

Mienfoo's eyes widen with fear as she sees the eyeballs turn to ash, the eyes being replaced by two red flames. Zorua's heart pounds fiercely with fear as he says, "We have no other choice now… we have to kill Audino's body!"

Mienfoo looks directly at Zorua with tears of fear and anger rolling down her cheeks and she asks, "What do you mean we have to kill Audino? She's…" Zorua yells out with a look of frustration on his face, "Just look at her now, Mienfoo! She's no longer in there! Either way you look at it, once we defeat this bastard, the body will instantly fall apart to a pile of dust!"

Mienfoo has tears of sadness rolling down her cheeks as she looks directly at the disfigured Audino. Audino grins malevolently as she says in the demons voice, "That's right, Mienfoo. Audino's soul has already been devoured by me. And now…"

Audino says in the Underworld language, "It's time to put you to the test, Zorua!" Maractus and Mienfoo quickly jumped to Zorua's side as Audino tries to attack them both. Zorua has tears of frustration rolling down his cheeks as he thought, "I'm so sorry, Audino…"

Zorua jumps straight towards Audino and he yells, "I'm going to kill this bastard!" Audino grins malevolently at Zorua and she says in the Underworld language while the fire grew intense, "Lord Darkrai, I shall put your apprentice to the test!" Audino jumps straight towards Zorua in midair and prepares to attack.

While Zorua and Audino fought to the death, Riolu is still up in the trees, waiting for the second murderer to come out. Riolu's eyes widen when he sees a large tower of black aura flowing from the middle of the village. Riolu quickly jumps out of the treetops and ran into the village.

But as he ran, he has a concerned expression on his face as he thinks, "Something's not right… shouldn't there be villagers running for their lives by now?" When Riolu got into the village center, his eyes widen with fear when he sees the black aura from up close.

From within the black aura, something says to Riolu, "So you've finally showed up, Riolu…" Riolu stops running towards the black aura tower and just stands there with a frightened expression on his face. "N-no way… y-you're!"

The black aura tower vanishes instantly from the area. Riolu's heart races as he sees a dark purple Riolu with blood red eyes standing there with a malevolent smirk on his face. The dark Riolu says in the demon language, "My, my… I never would of thought I would run into you again, Riolu."

Riolu has a shocked expression in his eyes as he thinks, "I can understand what it just said! But…" Riolu asks in the demon language too, "What the hell are you?" The dark Riolu has an impressed look on his face as he replies in the same language, "Huh… I never would have thought that you could speak my language, Riolu. But,"

dark Riolu has a disappointed look on his face, "it seems as though you don't remember me at all. Especially," dark Riolu moves its right arm behind him from overhead and grabs hold of a shadow black hilt. Riolu looks at the hilt with a shocked expression on his face and he thinks, "Th-that sword! It couldn't possibly be!"

Dark Riolu grins malevolently as he asks, "Does this blade look familiar to you, Riolu?" Dark Riolu pulls out a completely dark sword out of the hilt and black aura starts to radiate out of it instantly. Dark Riolu points the tip of the blade at Riolu and it says, "That's right, Riolu. This here is the Hell Spirit Blade!"


	6. Chapter 6: Light and Dark

Chapter 6: The Overwhelming Darkness and Light

Riolu asks dark Riolu with a look of disbelief on his face, "H-how can it be that you have a Hell Spirit Blade?" Dark Riolu grins malevolently as he says in the same demon/Underworld language, "Let's just say Lord Darkrai accepted me to have the blade."

Riolu looks back at the other direction where Zorua and the others are located and he thinks, "But… I've felt the Hell Spirit Blade's energy coming out of Zorua!" Riolu has a troubled look on his face, "Could it be that I was wrong?" Riolu looks back at dark Riolu and he says, "Since you have the Hell Spirit Blade with you,"

white aura radiates out of Riolu's hands, "than I have no other choice but to use this!" Dark Riolu has a malevolent grin on his face as he says, "Let's see how much control you have over it," dark Riolu jumps straight towards Riolu with a murderous look in its eyes, "Riolu!"

While Riolu and dark Riolu fought against each other, Zorua is bending back and dodging a fierce, sharp jab from Audino's bony fingers. Zorua jumps back away from Audino and Mienfoo flies straight towards Audino's head with a High Jump Kick. Mienfoo kicks Audino right on the head and sends her flying back.

However, as Audino falls back slightly, Mienfoo cringes her eyes as she feels a massive burn on her right foot. She falls onto her right knee and holds her right foot with both hands. There are severe burn marks on the skin. Zorua rushes to Mienfoo's side as Audino is about to finish Mienfoo off by stabbing her in the face.

But Zorua blocks the attack right on time with his right arm. Zorua has a painful look on his face as he feels the finger bones piercing right through his arm. Mienfoo looks up at Zorua with a shocked expression in her eyes as she sees Zorua's right arm engulfed in the flames.

Zorua looks back at Mienfoo and he says to her with a serious look on his face while maintaining the Riolu form, "Mienfoo, you need to get out of her now!" Mienfoo looks up at Zorua with a worried expression on her face and she asks, "But… what about you, Zorua?"

Zorua has a serious look on his face as he replies while blocking Audino's second stab attack with his left arm now, "I'll be fine! Just get the hell out of here while you still can! If you don't flee, then this bastard will possess your body too!"

Zorua pulls him arms out of Audino's nails and slashes away fiercely at Audino with continuous Night Slashes from his two burned arms. While Zorua gets Audino away with the Night Slashes, Maractus rushes to Mienfoo's side and helps her up. "We have no other choice, Mienfoo! We need to get out of here while we still can…"

While Maractus helps Mienfoo up, Mienfoo says with a worried expression on her face, "Yeah, but what about Zorua? We can't just leave him here all alone! What if he gets injured and the demon…?" Mienfoo is trying to get back into the fight, but Maractus says with a worried expression on her face, "Please forgive me, Mienfoo…"

Maractus uses Sleep Powder on Mienfoo, which causes Mienfoo to fall over in a deep sleep. After she falls over, Maractus lifts her up over her shoulder and she looks directly at Zorua with a concerned look on her face. After Zorua uses one more Night Slash and sends Audino flying back towards one of the charred buildings, Zorua looks back at Audino and nods his head of approval.

Maractus nods her head and she starts to make a run for it back to base. After she disappears from the area, Zorua looks back at the location where Audino is located and he asks Audino in the Underworld language, "What's the deal with Darkrai wanting to put me to the test?"

Audino walks out of the rubble of the charred house she landed in and she says in the same language, "You should know the reason, amateur. You haven't killed any of these Pokemon here yet. It's been taking too long, that I was sent here by Lord Darkrai to show you what you should be doing."

Zorua has a serious expression on his face and he says while slowly transforming back into his original form, "There's a problem with your story…" Zorua closes his eyes and sighs deeply. Audino has a confused expression in her flaming eyes and she asks, "What's that, Zorua?"

When Zorua opens his eyes, Audino's eyes widen with shock as she sees Zorua's blood red eyes and vertical eye pupils. Black aura explodes out of Zorua's body as he says while two horns grew out of his forehead and his fangs and claws grew sharper,

"You weren't sent here just because of that. You also came here to eliminate me, so you can become Darkrai's apprentice!" Audino has a malevolent smile on her face as she replies, "You've seen right through me." Zorua lets out a menacing roar and jumps straight towards Audino with a murderous look in his eyes.

While Zorua and Audino went into a battle of the demons, dark Riolu is swinging his sword straight towards Riolu's head in midair. But Riolu manages to block the blade with his white aura engulfed hands and pushes back away from dark Riolu.

After Riolu lands on his feet, he thought while aiming his right palm at dark Riolu, "I can't afford to lose here! Not against the likes of that demon!" Riolu starts running straight towards dark Riolu with the white aura coming out of his hands growing larger in size.

Dark Riolu has a shocked expression on his face when he sees a red colored place appear from out of nowhere in midair, flowing with the white aura. Riolu appears right in front of dark Riolu and starts firing a barrage of Force Palms at the demon, but dark Riolu blocks most of the attacks with his sword.

But when he sees the red plate form into Riolu's body through the white aura, dark Riolu has a look of disbelief on his face as he sees fire radiating off of the white aura. Riolu fires a massive flaming Force Palm at dark Riolu.

Dark Riolu tries to block the attack with his sword, but the flaming force from the attack was far too great. Dark Riolu is sent flying through the air with the blade shattering into millions of pieces.

After dark Riolu lands on his back and the red plate form out of Riolu and vanishes into the air, Riolu asks in a different language besides the Underworld language, "Is that all you've got? Are you telling me that the sword of yours actually braked?"

Dark Riolu gets back up with a confused expression on his face and he thinks, "What the hell is going on here? Why did Riolu's power turn to fire after that red plate formed into his body?" Riolu says in the different language, "Tell this to Darkrai when I send you back to the Underworld…"

Riolu raises his right hand over his head and he says while a Draco plate appears in his hand out of the white aura, "Tell Darkrai to be prepared for me, 'cuz I'll be coming for him for the actions he is taking!" Dark Riolu's eyes widen with shock as he thought, "Riolu… is it possible that you have…?"

Before dark Riolu can finish his sentence, the plate forms into Riolu's body and the white aura has powerful red aura combining with it. Riolu points right at dark Riolu and he yells out fiercely, "Lets this reveal your Judgment!"

The white and red auras took shape of spears and they all flew straight towards dark Riolu at a blinding speed. Dark Riolu quickly places both of his palms onto the ground and he forms his dark energy into the ground. After he lifts his hands away from the ground, a giant shadow black scythe forms out of the ground in front of dark Riolu and he quickly grabs a hold of the hilt.

He quickly jumps out of the way at the last second and manages to avoid getting hit by the Judgment attack. After dark Riolu lands on the ground with the giant two bladed scythes in hand and over his shoulders, the Draco Plate forms out of Riolu's body and disappears into the white aura, along with the red aura.

The white aura is now forming out of Riolu's body like a wild fire, as if it is enraged. Dark Riolu grins with a malevolent look in his eyes and he says in his own language, "Good thing Lord Darkrai saw this one coming, otherwise I could have been dead forever…"

Riolu has a serious expression in his eyes as he says in the other language, "I need to keep this up. I can't allow this demon to live after seeing my abilities in action!" A Psychic Plate forms out of the white aura and into Riolu's body next and the white aura instantly turns to a pink color.

Dark Riolu points his scythes at Riolu and he says, "Show me the true power of the lord of the Heavens!" Both Riolu and dark Riolu jumps straight towards each other and are fighting once more.

As Riolu and dark Riolu fought with everything they've got, Zorua is going all out and has transformed into Darkrai. Audino has a serious look on her face as she thought, "Zorua's power is actually increasing? But I thought he has already reached his limit of strength!"

Zorua grabs a hold of Audino's shoulder bones and crushes them completely. Audino has a shocked expression in her flaming eyes as the dark soul possessing her thought while jumping back away from Zorua with shattered shoulder blades, "Zorua… is already becoming more like Lord Darkrai! But how can that be…?"

Before Audino can finish its sentence, Zorua reappears right in front of Audino and grabs it by the neck and lifts it up into the air. The flames in Audino's eye sockets vanished as if it is cringing. When the flames reappeared like the opening of the eyes, Audino says with a painful expression on its face, "You've passed the test, Zorua… now release me…"

Zorua doesn't say a word and moves Audino's face closer to his at eye-level. Audino has a frightened expression on its face as it asks, "What are you doing, Zorua? The test is over!" After the red and black aura forms out of Zorua's eyes, he says to Audino in the Underworld language, "I've been ordered to kill you by Lord Darkrai, and that's what I'm going to do!"

Audino's eyes widen with fear as it asks, "Wait, what? Lord Darkrai said…" Before Audino could finish its sentence the red and black aura forming out of Zorua's eyes forms into Audino's fire eyes. Audino's jaws hang wide open as if in shock as its whole body turns to a charred black with red crack markings forming all over its body.

The fire that is used as its skin vanishes as the soul possessing Audino's body dies. After the dark soul died, the red cracks grew larger and the body shatters as if it is glass with a pool of blood flowing out of it.

After the body got destroyed, Zorua transforms back to its original form and his claws, teeth, and horns turned back to normal. Zorua has tears of sadness rolling down his cheeks as he said the name, "A-Audino…" Zorua falls to the ground, knocked out from the overwhelming darkness that took him over before.

While Zorua just lies there on the blood covered village center, Riolu and dark Riolu are fighting intensely. Riolu has a Wing Plate within his body and is blowing dark Riolu right onto a wall by using the white aura is a massive wind blast.

Dark Riolu slams against the wall and falls onto the ground with a blade shattering off of the double bladed scythe. Dark Riolu looks right at Riolu with a malevolent look on his face and he yells in the Underworld language, "You bastard! You destroyed my precious scythe!"

As dark Riolu slowly stood back up onto his feet, the Wing Plate forms out of Riolu's body and back into the white aura as he says, "It's all over. Prepare to…!" Before Riolu can finish his sentence, his eyes widen with shock when he feels the white aura instantly form back into his body, causing Riolu to lose all of the power he was able to use before.

Riolu looks at his hands with a confused expression on his face and he asks in the normal language, "What just happened to me? How did I end up over here?" Dark Riolu has a surprised look on his face as he thought, "W-was he being controlled by that Pokemon? If so,"

Dark Riolu gets back up onto his feet and he says while getting the scythe over his shoulders with the blade pointing down towards the ground and he says, "I guess you win for now, Riolu…" Riolu looks directly at dark Riolu with a confused expression on his face and he asks, "What are you talking about? What just happened?"

Dark Riolu doesn't say a word and he just vanishes into the shadows, heading back to the Underworld. After he left the area, Riolu looks around that abandoned village and sees all of the damage that was caused. "D-did we do this during the battle?"

When Riolu looks back at the location where the other village is located, he has a shocked expression on his face when he senses only one Pokemon in the village up ahead. Riolu thought as he ran through the forest, "Oh no! What is going on over there?" After Riolu left that village, Darkrai's voice said from the shadows, "So… Arceus is within his body, huh?"


	7. Chapter 7: Truths

Chapter 7: Truths…

After Riolu gets to the village center, his eyes widen as he sees Maractus trying to help the knocked out Zorua. Riolu looks around at the surroundings of the village center and sees all of the blood that has been spilled. Riolu looks directly at Maractus and he asks her, "What the hell happened over here?"

As Riolu walks towards her, Maractus replies to Riolu, "I'm afraid we left Zorua by himself over here to do the battle. But," Maractus has tears of sadness flowing down her cheeks as she says, "I'm afraid we lost a teammate tonight… Audino died during the battle."

Riolu has a slowly rising shocked expression on his face and he says, "N-no way… what happened?" Maractus says to Riolu while calming herself down by wiping the tears away, "I'll explain the situation to you once we return home."

Riolu nods his head in agreement and they all head to the cabin through the snowy forest. As they ran through the forest, Riolu is looking right at Zorua and he thinks with a concerned look in his eyes, "Zorua… I can sense the Hell Spirit Blade inside your body. So it must be true then…"

Riolu pictures the battle he had with dark Riolu while Zorua was in the part of his battle to where he's about to transform into his demon form.

Riolu and dark Riolu are just standing there two feet away from each other in Riolu's memory. Riolu is asking dark Riolu with a serious expression in his eyes, "Why are there two Hell Spirit Blades?" Dark Riolu has a confused expression on his face as he asks, "Where'd you come up with that?"

Dark Riolu shows Riolu the Hell Spirit Blade in his hands and he says, "This here is the only Hell Spirit Blade. There isn't a second one, Riolu." Riolu has a concerned expression on his face as he says, "I thought so… then that explains everything."

Dark Riolu asks with a confused expression in his eyes, "What's gotten into you?" Riolu looks right at dark Riolu eye to eye and he replies, "I know that blade you have with you now is fake. It's not even the real Hell Spirit Blade…"

Dark Riolu points the tip of the sword at Riolu and he asks "What makes you say," dark Riolu's eyes widen with shock as he sees a huge tower of black aura coming from the location of the other village.

Riolu looks back at the village with a disappointed look on his face and he replies, "That's the reason over there. So it's true…" Riolu looks directly at dark Riolu and he says with a serious expression on his face, "Zorua has made the deal after all…"

Dark Riolu closes his eyes and looks away from Riolu, only to let Riolu know that what he is saying is the truth. The memory fades and Riolu thinks with a disappointed look in his eyes, "I guess once we get back to the cabin, I should let Maractus and Mienfoo know about Zorua's deal with Darkrai…"

However, while Zorua has his eyes closed, he hears Darkrai's voice say in his head, "Zorua… Riolu knows about the deal. You must finish them all off when you get back to the cabin!" Zorua weakly opens his eyes as he thinks in his head in the demon language, "I'm sorry, Lord Darkrai. But I'm afraid I don't have enough energy or heart to do such a thing."

Zorua and Darkrai are staring each other down from within Zorua's soul. Darkrai has a serious expression on his face, "What do you mean you don't have the heart to do such a thing? Are you disobeying my order?"

Zorua shakes his head no and he replies with a serious expression on his face, "Not like that. I just don't have the heart because you got that other bastard to kill off my friend, Audino! How could you do such a thing like that?"

Darkrai yells at Zorua with a serious expression on his face, "You're taking too long to finish the job, Zorua! I'm starting to think that you will never kill Mienfoo, Maractus, or Riolu!"

Zorua yells back with an angry look on his face, "Of course that's the damn case! Mienfoo, Maractus, and Audino have been my friends ever since I was born! How the hell could I possibly kill them?" Darkrai grabs Zorua from the neck and lifts him up in the air.

Zorua cringes his eyes as he is forced up into the air and gasping for air. When Zorua opens his eyes and looks directly into Darkrai's eyes, Darkrai says with a serious expression in his eyes, "Listen here, Zorua! We had a deal here and it is your task to keep your end of the deal!"

Zorua closes his eyes and yells back with his face distorting with anger, "How is it that I wanted to make the deal, huh? In case you didn't notice the first time, I had no other choice but to grab that weapon!"

Darkrai has a serious expression on his face as he says in a calmer tone, "Do you really think you didn't have a choice back there? Then tell me," Darkrai turns Riolu to where he is facing the direction where Darkrai is looking and Darkrai says while a televised screen appears from the shadows, "What do you think would have happened to you if you didn't grab the sword?"

Darkrai loosens his grip on Zorua's neck and Zorua replies, "I would have been killed out there. I would have no hope of surviving." Darkrai has a disappointed look on his face as he replies, "That is a logical guess… but," the screen turns on and reveals what could have happened if Zorua didn't grab the sword.

As Zorua watches the screen, a look of disbelief fills his face and tears of sadness rolls down his face. "Y-you're telling me that I c-could have…?" The screen forms back into the shadows as Darkrai answers, "That's correct; you could have survived the fierce mob attack thanks to Riolu's ultimate power."

Darkrai lets go of Zorua and Zorua lands onto the ground on his stomach as if he were thrown. Zorua has a look of sadness on his face as he thinks, "Oh no… what have I done?" Zorua looks back at Darkrai with an angry look on his face and he yells, "You're a sick, twisted, evil bastard! I wish I never had grabbed a hold of that damned Hell Spirit Blade!"

Zorua gets back up onto his feet and tries to find some way to get the Hell Spirit Blade out of his body, but he has no luck finding a way. Darkrai watches as Zorua just lies on the ground and starts sobbing.

Darkrai turns his back on Zorua and he says to him, "You're a sad, pathetic child, Zorua…" As Darkrai slowly walks away, he says to Zorua, "I suppose I can tell you other ways to get rid of the Hell Spirit Blade…"

Darkrai stops walking when he hears Zorua ask, "What can I possibly do?" Darkrai looks over his shoulder and he says to the poor Zorua, "There are three ways for you to get rid of the Hell Spirit Blade. The first is to obey all of my orders, the second is to fight me and take me down all on your own with the blade, and the third way,"

Darkrai turns his head away from Zorua's location and he finishes, "is to end your own life." Zorua's eyes widen with fear when he heard the last way. Zorua has a troubled expression on his face as he thought it through, "There's no way I can defeat Darkrai and win. I also don't want to keep on obeying him anymore…"

Zorua has a depressed look on his face as he thought, "Is the only way to end this is to take my own life?" Zorua looks back at where Darkrai was located and notices that he has already disappeared from the area.

Zorua opens his eyes in the real world and sees Riolu and Maractus sitting right in front of his bedside with their arms crossed and serious expressions on their faces. Zorua looks at the other end of the room and sees Mienfoo lying on a bed with bandaged wrapped around her right foot.

Zorua asks with a worried expression on his face, "Is Mienfoo going to be all right?" Maractus nods her head with the same serious look on her face. Zorua looks at both Riolu and Maractus and he asks, "What's with the serious looks, everyone?"

Riolu replies as he reveals his right hand. Zorua has a shocked expression on his face when he sees a white aura thread attacked to Riolu's right palm. Zorua looks down at his chest and notices that the white aura thread is attacked there too.

Zorua looks back at Riolu with a surprised look on his face and he asks, "So you heard the whole conversation?" Riolu and Maractus nod their heads. Zorua has a depressed look on his face and he asks them, "Will it be possible if we can get rid of the Hell Spirit Blade trapped in my soul?"

Riolu gets up out of his seat and he replies, "It's not going to be an easy task, Zorua. There are so many things you must do in order to get rid of a cursed blade such as that one."

Zorua asks with tears slowly rolling down his cheeks from his eyes, "From what Darkrai has told me already, are those three ways the only way to get rid of this sword?" Riolu has a serious look on his face as he replies, "I'm afraid so, Zorua. But,"

Riolu clenches his fist as he says while flowing some of his white aura into Zorua's body from the thread without him noticing, "I will not allow you to do the first or the third way! I'm going to help you to where you can fight Darkrai and lose the cursed sword forever!"

Zorua has a shocked expression on his face when he starts to feel the white aura flowing throughout his entire body from the thread. He looks into Riolu's eyes and he asks, "What're you doing, Riolu?"

Riolu grins with a confident look on his face and he says, "This will be a temporary solution to weaken the Hell Spirit Blade's control on your body. As long as my white aura is flowing through your system, it'll disable the sword's effects for at least an hour a time."

Zorua has an impressed look on his face and he says with a brighter look on his face, "I'll do it! I'll train with you and we'll become a strong duo!" Riolu nods his head and he says, "There we go!"

Riolu disconnects the thread from Zorua's chest and he says, "I gave you enough white auras to last the whole night tonight. We need to get plenty to sleep if we wish to hit the ground running tomorrow!"

Zorua nods his head with a confident smile on his face and he replies back, "I understand, Riolu!" Maractus has a surprised look on her face and she thinks, "Zorua… he's back to his normal self!"

It is now midnight and Zorua is still awake while lying on his bed. Riolu, Maractus, and Mienfoo are all still sleeping soundly as the moonlight glows through the window and brightens the room slightly with a beautiful winter white glow.

Zorua looks up at the ceiling as he thought, "Darkrai… I'm going to turn my back on you as your apprentice. I'm going to become stronger and take you down once I become stronger. Just you wait…" Zorua closes his eyes and he falls into an instant, peaceful sleep.

But as he slept, Darkrai tries to make contact with him in his dreams, but Darkrai gets pushed back by the white aura blocking Zorua's soul. Darkrai is in the Underworld, furiously cursing Zorua and Riolu.

Darkrai yells out with dark Riolu in the area, "Damn you, Riolu! How dare you take my apprentice and transfer Arceus's white aura into Zorua!" Darkrai summons a large mob of demons. But when the mob of demons came in, Darkrai instantly kills them all out of anger in one single blow.

The demons turned to ash and dark Riolu just stands there with a terrified look on his face. Darkrai looks directly at dark Riolu with a malevolent look in his eyes and he says, "Do you even understand what this situation means?"

Dark Riolu shakes his head no and he replies with a nervous look in his eyes, "I'm a-afraid I don't know, my lord D…!" Before he can finish his sentence, Darkrai instantly appears right in front of dark Riolu and grabs a hold of him by the neck and lifts him up straight into the air.

But dark Riolu remains calm and listens as Darkrai yells, "The fact that Riolu is going to seal off the Hell Spirit Blade means that he'll take Zorua to the Mountain of Heaven. If that happens, Arceus will destroy the Hell Spirit Blade and we'll all face certain destruction! My power will be lost and I'll no longer be immortal!"

Darkrai drops dark Riolu onto the floor and he orders dark Riolu in a calmer tone, "Summon every demon in the Underworld and tell them to be prepared to enter the living world." Darkrai yells out throughout the whole Underworld, "We're going to make the living world become a living Hell in one week!"

Uproars of demons are heard throughout the whole Underworld after they heard what Darkrai said. Darkrai looks right at dark Riolu and he says, "Better yet, I have a special task for you."

Dark Riolu asks with a nervous expression on his face, "What do you have in mind, my lord?" Darkrai grins malevolently and he says, "We're going to give Zorua the most severe punishment for turning his back on my deal."


	8. Chapter 8: The Punishment

Chapter 8: The Punishment

It has been three days since the night Riolu and Maractus learned the truth about Zorua's deal. Zorua and Riolu have been training nonstop, trying to get themselves stronger. However, the Underworld has been getting prepared for their invasion of the living world.

It is now morning and Zorua starts to open his eyes. After he opens his eyes, he has a confused expression on his face as he sees Riolu and Mienfoo looking out the window with worried expressions on their faces. Zorua asks with a worried expression on his face, "What's going on outside?"

Riolu looks right at Zorua with a sad expression on his face as he says, "It's Maractus… she's…" Zorua's eyes widen with fear as he says, "No don't tell me!" Zorua quickly gets out of his bed, looks out the window, and sees Maractus out in front of the cabin, standing before an angry mob.

Zorua asks with a worried expression in his eyes, "What the devil is going on out there? What's with all of those Pokemon?" Riolu looks directly at Maractus's back as he says with a look of sadness in his eyes, "I'm afraid she's telling them about your deal with the devil."

Zorua has a shocked look on his face and he looks directly at Maractus with the same expression on his face. But when he got a good look at Maractus, his eyes widen with fear when he sees black aura radiating out of Maractus's body.

Zorua looks directly at Riolu with a hopeless look on his face, "Wh-what are we going to do about that?" Before any of them can reply, all of their attention falls on Maractus when they hear her yell out, "And now… I shall sacrifice myself for you all to believe that Zorua and Riolu are Darkrai's apprentices!"

Riolu has a shocked expression on his face as he sees Maractus grab a two bladed scythe out of the shadows and holds the blades up to her neck. The crowd goes into an uproar of anger as they see Maractus taking her own life right in front of them by beheading herself.

Her blood covers the windows and Zorua, Riolu, and Mienfoo jumps back with frightened expressions on their faces. Mienfoo has an overwhelmed look on her face as she repeats the words, "Oh god, oh god… why's this happening to us?"

While Mienfoo goes through a panic, dark Riolu appears from the shadows behind Mienfoo with his scythe in his hands. Zorua, Riolu, and Mienfoo looks right at dark Riolu with shocked expression on their faces and Mienfoo lets out a scared scream.

Dark Riolu grabs a hold of Mienfoo by locking her in front of him with the hilt of his scythe. The blades are pointing right at her neck and Riolu and Zorua are frozen in place. Dark Riolu looks malevolently at Zorua and he says to him with a vengeful smile on his face, "Zorua… you are hereby to face serious punishments for turning your back on Lord Darkrai and disobeying orders."

Zorua's eyes widen with fear as he says, "N-no… you've already killed Maractus… please don't kill Mienfoo!"

Dark Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he says, "Your punishments go way farther than you can ever imagine. Not only have you turned your back on Lord Darkrai, but you have accepted Arceus's aura into your body, and punishment for that is…"

Before dark Riolu could finish his sentence, Riolu quickly appears in front of dark Riolu and grabs a hold of the hilt of the scythe. He slowly pulls the scythe back to where the blades move away from Mienfoo's neck and Riolu says with a serious expression on his face to Mienfoo, "Get away from him, Mienfoo!"

But as Mienfoo tries to get away, her eyes widen with shock when she feels a frightening force coming from behind her. When she looks back, her eyes widen with fear when she sees dark Riolu's left hand inside her body. Dark Riolu smiles malevolently as he says, "Demon Merge: Underworld Overshadow!"

Riolu's eyes widen with fear when he sees dark Riolu disappear instantly into Mienfoo's body. Riolu loses his grip on the scythe as he jumps back away from Mienfoo, who was about to grab Riolu by the neck.

After Riolu lands right next to Zorua, Mienfoo bends down and picks up the scythe. Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he sees a meager amount of black aura form out of Mienfoo's body. Mienfoo smiles malevolently as she says with her voice and dark Riolu's voice combining, "Now… if you excuse me…"

Mienfoo faces the front of the cabin and points her scythe straight at the walls. Mienfoo lifts her scythe up in the air and she finishes with, "I'm going to let you two take care of things from here…" Mienfoo swings her scythe down and fires a wave of destructive energy at the front of the cabin. The wave hits the walls and an explosion of debris and smoke covers the air outside.

Zorua and Riolu are blinded by the dust. After the dust clears away and they both open their eyes, they both have shocked expressions on their faces as they see the angry mob chasing them down with pitchforks and torches. Riolu and Zorua panic and they quickly flee out of the destroyed cabin, running as fast as they possibly can into the forest.

As they ran through the snow covered forest, Riolu looks back and sees the angry mob chasing them both down with angry looks on their faces. Riolu looks straight ahead with a serious look on his face and he says with a troubled look on his face, "Zorua,"

Zorua looks right at Riolu with a serious look on his face while having tears of guilt rolling down his cheeks, "We have no other choice but to defend ourselves from them." Zorua has a shocked expression on his face as he asks, "Riolu… you don't mean…"

Before he could finish his sentence, he sees large amounts of white aura exploding out of Riolu's body. Riolu is a look a sadness in his eyes as he replies, "I'm afraid so, Zorua. We need to get this mob to back off…"

Zorua looks directly at the white aura with a surprised look on his face when he sees a Thunder Plate forming out of the white aura. Zorua asks Riolu as the plate forms into Riolu's body, "Should I use my power as well, Riolu?"

Riolu shakes his head no and he replies as large amounts of electricity bursts out of the white aura, "No… I just need you to protect yourself from this attack, for I have no control of who it attacks…" Riolu stops running and faces the mob of Pokemon as they run straight towards him.

Zorua keeps on running and finds a rock to hide behind. After Zorua gets out of the way, Riolu points right at the mob of Pokemon and he says to them before attacking, "Listen to me, everything that you've just heard was a lie! We are not apprentices of Darkrai!"

But the mob doesn't listen and are about to attack Riolu. Riolu closes his eyes and he sighs deeply. He exhales the words, "Please forgive me, Arceus…" When Riolu opens his eyes, a massive discharge of lightning blasts out of the white aura and strikes the mob of Pokemon with a massive blow.

The trees surrounding Riolu comes crashing down and burns as the powerful lightning strikes comes into contact with them. The rock Zorua is hiding behind gets hit and large chunks of the rock crumble away.

Zorua looks straight ahead at the forest behind Riolu and his eyes widen when he sees an group of demons running straight towards them. Zorua has a worried expression in his eyes as he thought, "With that many demons in a group…" The large electrical discharge ends and Riolu rushed towards Riolu.

Most of the angry mob Pokemon fled, but some got caught by the discharge and died where they lie. As the Thunder Plate forms out of Riolu and forms back into the white aura, tears of sadness rolls down Riolu's cheeks as he says, "I'm sorry…"

Zorua yells out at Riolu as he ran towards him, "Riolu, behind you!" When Riolu looks back with the white aura forming back into his body, his eyes widen with terror when he sees a fifty foot demon the size of a building walking straight towards them.

Riolu asks as he starts to run with Zorua away from the giant demon back towards the village, "How are we supposed to fight something that big?" Zorua has a serious expression on his face as he answers, "It'll be dangerous on my part, but there is one way!"

Zorua and Riolu look at each other straight in the eyes and Zorua says in a serious tone, "I can use my demon form to take the giant down. I just need you to keep me under control during the process."

Riolu has a worried expression in his eyes as he replies, "Alright. Just don't go into a killing spree and go after me." Riolu connects a white aura thread at Zorua's chest. After he does that, Zorua has a shocked expression in his eyes as he feels a massive burst of black aura explode out of his body.

While Zorua's claws, teeth, and horns grew sharper, he glows black and instantly transforms into Riolu. Riolu watches with surprise in his eyes and he thought while seeing Zorua jumping up in the air straight towards the giant demon's face, "Zorua… you transformed into me? But why didn't he transform into Darkrai like he did before?"

The demon looks down at both Zorua and Riolu, stops walking, and lets out a menacing roar. Zorua has a serious expression in his demon like eyes and he thinks, "I can feel it… the Hell Spirit Blade is trying to take control of me. But,"

the giant demon tries to grab a hold of Zorua, but Zorua ends up using Night Slash like a drill and slices right through the demon's hand. The demon lets out a frightful roar and Zorua finishes, "If I keep on focusing my aura on Riolu's, I'll be able to keep control…!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Zorua's eyes widen with shock when he sees his arms transform into Darkrai's arms and hands. Darkrai's hair grows out of the top of Zorua's head while still in the Riolu form.

Zorua has a worried expression on his face as he thinks, "I need to finish this in one final blow!" Zorua reaches the giant demon's face and pierces his Darkrai claws into the demon's face around one of the giant eyes.

Zorua stares into the demon's eyes and he says in the demon language while black aura flows out of his eyes and into the demon's eyes, "Now die… Underworld Illusion: Death's Rampage!" The giant demon's eyes widen with shock as its entire body caught on fire.

The fire is the color blue and black and red cracks starts to form all over the demon's body. Zorua quickly disappears from the demon and reappears right next to Riolu in a flash.

Zorua yells out while running with his body turning back to its normal form while staying as a Riolu, "Let's get the hell out of here!" Riolu runs alongside Zorua and looks back at the giant demon. Riolu's eyes widen with shock as he sees the giant demon cracking like broken glass.

Zorua quickly Riolu into the forest as the demons shatters completely and an ocean of blood pours out and covers a 100-kilometer radius of the island. The trees of the forest come crashing down as the impact of the tidal wave of blood slams right into the trees.

Zorua transforms back to his original body and he says to Riolu as they are being chased down by a tidal wave of blood, "We need to get off of this island now! It won't be safe here anymore with these bastards chasing up down!"

Riolu looks right at Zorua with a serious expression on his face and he replies, "I know, and I've got the perfect place for us to go!" Zorua looks right at Riolu with a surprised expression in his eyes and he asks, "Really, where should we go?"

Riolu replies, "It involves going overseas to a special type of island. I'll explain to you once we get onto the ship!"

Zorua looks back at the tidal wave of blood with a serious expression on his face and he says, "I hate to tell you this, but there's no way we can get off of this island with this tidal wave of blood chasing us down!"

Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he replies with white aura forming out of his body, "I get the idea!" When Zorua looks up at the plate forming out the white aura, he has a confused expression on his face when he notices that it's just a clear plate with blue aura flowing from within it.

Zorua asks while the plate forms into Riolu's body, "What the hell kind of plate was that?" Riolu answers while picking up Zorua off of the ground, "You'll see right now!" Riolu's has massive amounts of white aura flowing out of his feet and his speed increases dramatically.

In a few seconds, the tidal wave of blood is two thousand feet behind them. Zorua shuts his eyes. When he opens his eyes the next second, his eyes widen with surprise when he notices that they have already reached the beach that would have usually taken a Pokemon two days to reach from the village.

The plate forms out of Riolu's body and he says while the white aura takes form back inside his body, "It's time to get off of this island." Riolu puts Zorua back down onto the snow and they both run straight towards a ship at a dock.


	9. Chapter 9: The Escape

Chapter 9: The Escape

It's been one week since Riolu and Zorua got away from the island on the ship. The island that they left has become an Underworld Island.

Darkrai and his army of demons have taken over the island completely and have killed the remaining Pokemon that lived on that island.

Riolu and Zorua saw this with their own eyes on the ship when they look back at the island covered with black and blue fire.

The next day comes and Zorua is looking back at what used to be his home while Riolu is controlling the wooden ship on the deck.

Zorua is a look of depression in his eyes as he thought while looking at his home and friends disappearing before his eyes, 'Audino… Maractus… Mienfoo… why did you all have to die on me?'

Tears of sadness rolls down his cheeks as he continues, 'I can't get the memories of your deaths out of my mind. I keep seeing them happening over and over again.'

Zorua closes his eyes with the tears still streaming down, 'I know this is all my fault, for I accepted the deal of the devil. Now you all are gone and I won't be able to see any of you again.'

Zorua bursts into sobs and he lies down on the floor on his stomach.

While Zorua lies there on the floor, Riolu has his hands on the stirring wheel of the ship, looking straight ahead at the sky with a look of sadness in his eyes.

He closes his eyes as he thinks, 'I can feel it… everyone else around this entire world are going to be after us. They'll get the message soon and will attack us as soon as we make dock onto one of the islands…'

Riolu opens his eyes and he continues, 'There's no other choice. We'll have to dock sooner or later and run into those that will be after us.'

Riolu looks back at the island, looking seriously at the black and blue infernos. 'No matter what happens to the island, it doesn't change the fact that everyone now knows that Zorua is the devil's apprentice…'

Riolu looks straight ahead out at the vast ocean and he continues, 'No matter how one tries to look at it, Zorua will be targeted and possibly…'

Before he could finish his thought, he hears Zorua ask, "Riolu, how long have you been a Pokemon?"

Riolu looks back and sees Zorua looking up at him, his eyes still revealing the evidence of tears.

Riolu has a troubled expression on his face as he replies while looking back out straight ahead, "I'm not entirely sure. I guess for quite a long time…"

Zorua has a depressed expression on his face as he says, "Where do you think we should go now? Since everyone will probably be trying to kill us both…?"

Riolu replies, "The only place we can actually go to is on Mirage Island…"

Zorua has a confused expression on his face and he asks, "Mirage Island? Where's that supposed to be?"

Riolu replies as he continues to stare out at the sparkly ocean, "It's actually an island of legends. It's an island that's completely hidden in a dense fog that covers one hundred kilometers of ocean. The island, however, is not that big, so it will be difficult to find."

Zorua asks with a curious look on his face, "How do we plan on finding this island, and what kinds of Pokemon are on that island?"

Riolu has a serious expression in his eyes as he replies, "Well, we have to stop be some of the neighboring islands first, so we can get supplies for the search. As for your second question, the only Pokemon that I know of being on that island… is Arceus."

Zorua has a shocked expression on his face as he replies, "A-Arceus? You're telling me that Arceus lives on Mirage Island?"

Riolu replies, "Not only that, but he is the one who guards Mirage Island. He is the one who made all of that fog cover the island. In fact, I guess you could say that Arceus is the one who also created Rayquaza's Sky Tower out of a different type of fog."

Zorua has a look of disbelief on his face as he thinks, 'That's unbelievable! I know Audino and the others would have flipped out with excitement if they were still alive…'

Zorua has a concerned expression on his face as he asks, "But what about Darkrai and his army of demons? Could it be possible for them to reach Mirage Island?"

Riolu has a look of concern on his face as he replies, "Actually, they do. Even with the fog surrounding the island, they could still get on it if they find it."

Riolu closes his eyes and he thinks as he pictures Dark Riolu resting the staff of his two bladed scythe on his right shoulder, 'With Dark Riolu by Darkrai's side, he can use the Aura Eyes to search the island. There's no doubt that Darkrai will use Dark Riolu to find Mirage Island…'

Riolu opens his eyes and he says while looking back at Zorua with a serious look in his eyes, "We need to go to Arceus and get him to destroy the Hell Spirit Blade in your body. Are you willing to go through this with me?"

Zorua nods his head with a serious expression on his face and he replies, "Yes! I need to get this damn sword out of my soul before it tries to take over again."

Riolu grins at Zorua and he replies, "Very good…"

Riolu looks back out at the vast ocean and he continues with a serious look on his face, "Let's bring you back to your normal self, Zorua! Let's become strong enough to take down Darkrai!"

Zorua nods his head with a confident grin on his face and he replies, "We'll become stronger, no matter what!"

It is now eight O'clock and Darkrai is looking out at the vast ocean in the direction where Riolu and Zorua are going.

Darkrai has his arms behind his back and he thinks with a malevolent grin on his face, 'Zorua… no matter what you try to do to get away from me, I'll still get you back.'

Darkrai looks back and sees Mienfoo tied up with Dark Riolu standing right next to her.

Darkrai says while facing Mienfoo and Dark Riolu, "So… you managed to get her back to life, huh?"

Dark Riolu replies while kneeling down before Darkrai, "Yes my lord. It was rather difficult, but I managed to get her back to life."

Mienfoo has a look of terror on her face as she asks, "Wh-what do you p-plan on doing to me?"

Darkrai just stares down at Mienfoo with a serious expression on his face and he replies, "You're just going to help us."

Dark Riolu stands straight back up and he asks, "Lord Darkrai is there anything you would like for me to do?"

Darkrai looks back out at the ocean and he replies, "Take Mienfoo into the torture dungeon. Make her go through a living Hell with any types of torture you can think of…"

Dark Riolu nods his head and grabs a hold of Mienfoo with his left hand and starts dragging her away.

After Dark Riolu and Mienfoo left, Darkrai grins with a malevolent smile on his face and he thinks, 'Zorua… you will have no other choice but to return. But not until the time is right.'

After Darkrai finishes his thought, he hears Mienfoo screaming with fear.

Darkrai looks down at the foot of the mountain and sees Mienfoo and Dark Riolu being greeted by a Dark Maractus and a Dark Audino.

Mienfoo tries to back away from the living dead Maractus and Audino, but Dark Riolu hold her in place.

Dark Riolu looks at the two living dead Pokemon and he says, "Take this one to the torture dungeon and torture her. You two understand?"

The two Pokemon nod their heads and Audino grabs a hold of Mienfoo by the rope.

Mienfoo screams with fear and tries to fight back, but Maractus covers her mouth with her right hand and Audino picks her up, and she carries the flailing Mienfoo away towards the torture dungeon.

As Audino and Maractus carry Mienfoo away, Dark Riolu thinks as he pulls his double bladed scythe out of the shadows right beside him, 'So that's what you plan to do… you're going to first torture Mienfoo and then send Zorua the message.'

Dark Riolu has a malevolent grin on his face as he continues, 'Not bad… but how long do you plan on waiting?'

Dark Riolu looks back up at the top of the mountain and sees Darkrai continuing to look out at the ocean.

Dark Riolu looks away as he thinks, 'Darkrai… you're a damn fool for lending Zorua the Hell Spirit Blade. What if you're plan ends up failing and…!'

Before he could finish his thought, his eyes widen with shock when he finds Darkrai standing right in front of him with a murderous smile on his face.

Darkrai grabs Dark Riolu by the neck and lifts him up into the air.

Dark Riolu's eyes are shut tightly as he gasps for air.

Darkrai asks with a serious expression on his face, "So… you think I'm a fool for lending Zorua the Hell Spirit Blade?"

Darkrai flies straight towards a tree trunk and slams Dark Riolu right against it on his back, causing the tree to fall over.

Dark Riolu has a painful expression on his face and Darkrai continues after he drops his scythe to the ground, "You don't seem to understand the plan at all. So allow me to fill you in on the subjects."

Darkrai lightens his grip on Dark Riolu's neck and he continues, "In order for everything to work, Mienfoo must be tortured first in order to be the key to our plan. So until she's been tortured long enough, I'll send you out to retrieve Zorua. But we need to do this right before they reach Arceus. Do you understand what the plan is now?"

Dark Riolu nods his head slightly and Darkrai releases his grip, causing Dark Riolu to fall down to the ground, panting heavily on his hands and knees.

Darkrai turns his back on Dark Riolu and he continues while looking at the direction where Riolu and Zorua are located and he says, "As soon as they both reach Mirage Island, it'll be all over for Riolu."

Darkrai looks back at Dark Riolu with a serious expression on his face and he says, "But first, I need to take care of something…"

After Dark Riolu stands back up with his scythe in his right hand, Dark Riolu says out loud with a serious expression in his eyes, "What if Zorua doesn't fall for your trap and still goes to Arceus? Once he goes to Arceus, he'll destroy the blade, which will destroy Hell!"

Darkrai has a disappointed expression on his face and he replies, "You still don't see it, do you?"

Darkrai instantly reappears right in front of Dark Riolu and pierces his right hand through Dark Riolu's chest.

Dark Riolu's eyes widen with shock and Darkrai says with a serious expression on his face, "Of course I know all of that. Don't forget, I'm the ruler of Hell, which means I'm the ruler of the Hell Spirit Blade. So Zorua will come back to being my apprentice. But as for you…"

Darkrai pulls has hand out of Dark Riolu's chest, causing blood to flow out of his wound. Dark Riolu falls onto his knees with the same shocked expression on his face.

As Darkrai turns his back on Dark Riolu, he continues, "You will be following Riolu and Zorua to Mirage Island. Once they reach the island, you know what to do."

Dark Riolu nods his head weakly and he weakly gets back up onto his feet by using his scythe as a support.

As Dark Riolu slowly gets back up, red, black, and purple aura form out of his wound, slowly covering his entire body.

Dark Riolu has a painful expression on his face as he feels the aura surrounding him slowly crushing his body.

Darkrai looks back at Dark Riolu with a serious expression on his face and he says, "Does that look familiar to you? Remember the last time you went through this?"

The aura now covers Dark Riolu's body from the neck down and Darkrai lifts his right hand, which causes Dark Riolu to be lifted straight into the air.

As Darkrai slowly closes his right hand, the pressure on Dark Riolu's body increases. Dark Riolu coughs up blood as the pressure continues to increase.

Darkrai grins malevolently as he says to Dark Riolu, "But for now, you're going to have to face pain yourself until the time comes."

Darkrai closes his hand all the way, which crushes Dark Riolu's right arm severely, causing blood to downpour to the ground.

Dark Riolu screams in pure agony as his scythe is flown through the air. The blades stabs through a tree trunk as Darkrai opens his right hand again and closes it again, severely crushing Dark Riolu's left arm.

Dark Riolu screams more and more blood spills to the ground.

Darkrai opens his right hand again and swings it into the throwing motion, sending Dark Riolu flying straight towards the tree trunk with the scythe in it.

After Dark Riolu makes contact with the tree and sends it crashing down to the ground, Darkrai turns away from the mountain and looks out at the ocean once again.

Darkrai thinks as he smiles malevolently, revealing his sharp shark like teeth, 'It will be a matter of time until I get you back, Zorua.'

Darkrai points out at the ocean and yells out to the whole island, "Head out and attack Riolu and Zorua!"

An uproar sounds throughout the entire blazing island and millions of flying demons take flight to the sky through the flames, and spread out, covering every direction.

As the demons flew out, Darkrai drops his arm and he thinks with a serious expression in his eyes, 'It won't be long now.'

While Darkrai continues to look out at the ocean, Dark Riolu is back up onto his feet with his scythe in his right hand. Both of his arms have healed already and he runs straight towards Darkrai with a murderous expression on his face.

But Darkrai just points straight up into the air with his right hand.

Dark Riolu's eyes widen with shock as he finds himself covered with the crushing aura again.

As he is lifted into the air again, Darkrai says while still looking out at the ocean, "Want to know what the worst part about being able to regenerate is?"

Darkrai looks back at Dark Riolu and he finishes while slowly closing his hand, "Once you regenerate your damaged parts, you'll feel the same pain all over again, giving the enemy a chance to put you through hell over and over again."

Darkrai closes his right hand, completely destroying Dark Riolu's arms and legs.

Darkrai swings his arm in a tossing formation, sending Dark Riolu flying through the forest, crashing through hundreds of trees and sending them falling to the ground.

Darkrai looks back out at the ocean and he thinks as he starts to disappear into the shadows, 'I shall get my apprentice back…'

He disappears into the shadows, and more demons take to the skies from the blazing island and fly out all over the Pokemon World.


	10. Chapter 10: Spreading Darkness

Chapter 10: Living Darkness

It is a dark and stormy night out at the ocean and Riolu and Zorua are still out there on the boat.

Riolu holds on tight to the wheel, trying to keep the boat intact, while Zorua tries to take down the sail all on his own.

As gusts of wind blows strongly, Riolu thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Damn… the dark energy from the blaze back there is spreading out throughout the Pokemon World! This is not good…'

As Zorua is up on the top of the lookout post, trying to take the sail down, he looks back where the island is located and he thinks with a look of concern on his face, 'This is getting bad. The darkness is already spreading this far. If the darkness goes any further, than we're screwed no matter where we go...'

Zorua looks straight ahead and he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Not only that, but I can feel the dark energy flowing into my body. Could it be possible that Darkrai is trying to reawaken the Hell Spirit Blade inside my soul?'

While Zorua looks out at the sea for a bit, his eyes widen with shock as he sees a large group of flying demons coming their way.

Zorua looks down at Riolu with a serious expression on his face and he yells, "Don't look now, but we've got company!"

Riolu has a serious expression on his face when he looks up and sees the flying demons coming their way.

Riolu thinks as he looks at the palm of his right hand with a serious expression in his eyes, 'Damn it… they came sooner than I thought.'

Riolu closes his eyes as he continues, 'I guess I have no other choice but to use that move…'

Riolu pictures the moment when he was about to use the certain move when he was fighting with Dark Riolu. 'Since these bastards will mostly stay up in the sky when attacking, I guess I better use it to keep Zorua safe.'

When Riolu opened his eyes, he activates his Aura Eyes, which causes blue aura to form out of his now gray colored eyes like fire.

As he looks right at his right palm, huge amounts of aura bursts out of his whole hand, slowly taking form above the center of his palm.

Riolu looks up at Zorua with a serious expression on his face and he yells out, "Zorua, I need you to get ready to attack them all with everything you've got, and keep them away from me as I use a certain attack!"

After Zorua jumps down onto the floor next to Riolu, he asks with a curious look in his eyes, "What do you plan on doing?"

Riolu raises his right hand as he says, "I'm going to be firing a lot of Aura Spheres at the flying demons. This is the only move I can possibly use, since there's no way an Aura Sphere can miss. However…"

Riolu has a look of concern on his face as he continues, "I won't be able to keep my white aura inside your body to keep the Hell Spirit Blade under control. So make sure you reserve most of your energy and don't lose your sanity."

Zorua nods his head with a serious expression on his face and he replies, "I understand, Riolu!"

Zorua transforms into a Riolu and jumps straight into the air with black aura forming out of his arms, taking shape of blades.

As Zorua slashes away at the demons he comes into contact with, Riolu is continuing to focus most of his energy to his right hand, while keeping his left hand on the wheel.

As Riolu focuses his energy into a giant sphere shape, he thinks with a serious look in his eyes, 'This is going to take a lot of energy out of me once I use it. There's no doubt that Zorua might possibly lose himself to the Hell Spirit Blade again. If that happens…'

Riolu looks up at the sky where Zorua is fighting the flying demons in midair and he finishes, 'Then I'll have to use the white aura against Zorua…'

Zorua has a confident grin on his serious looking face and he say while slashing away at each demon he comes into contact with, causing blood to spill down to the ocean, "So Darkrai sent you all to capture me, huh?"

After Zorua slices ten demons heads off, he continues, "Well I'm afraid you're going to go back to him empty handed. At least…"

A demon tries to grab a hold of him from behind, but Zorua elbows the demon in the face; the dark aura blade piercing through the demons face.

As the demon falls to the ground after Zorua pulls his elbow out of its face, Zorua finishes with black aura slowly radiating out of his whole body like fire, "A few of you will return if you're lucky enough to survive!"

Riolu looks up at Zorua with a shocked expression on his face and he thinks, 'Oh no! The Hell Spirit Blade is starting to reawaken!'

Riolu looks down at his giant forming Aura Sphere and he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'I need to do this quickly before the Hell Spirit Blade fully awakens!'

Zorua has a concerned expression on his face as he thinks while continuing to slash his way through the mob of demons, 'Damn... I can feel the Hell Spirit Blade's energy forming out of my body!'

After Zorua stabs ten demons in the heart with one single stab of his Nigh Slash, Zorua's eyes widen with fear when he notices that his arm is slowly turning into a shadow black Darkrai arm, but the rest of his body is still in the Riolu form.

Zorua thinks as he sees his right arm, 'Oh hell! It's already trying to take over again!'

Riolu looks up at Zorua with a shocked expression on his face when he sees Zorua's right arm.

"Zorua! Don't let the Hell Spirit Blade consume you! Fight its control!" yells Riolu as Darkrai's long black and red flaming hair grows out of the top of Zorua's head.

Zorua thinks as he continues to fight against the demons and his eyes slowly turn into the eyes of a demon, 'This is not good… I don't have that much control over the blade as it is!'

Zorua looks down at Riolu and he yells out as his other arm transforms, "Riolu, do it now and take all of these bastards out before I lose control of myself!"

Riolu nods his head with a serious expression on his face and he thinks as he aims his right palm up at all of the demons, 'I guess this the right time to do it!'

When one of the demons looks down at Riolu, its eyes widen with shock as it sees white aura exploding out of Riolu's body like fire.

The demon lets out a certain noise and at least half of them fly straight down towards the ship, while the other half battles against the slowly transforming Zorua.

Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he yells out, "Just hang in there a little while longer, Zorua!"

The giant Aura Sphere that grew to the size of a wrecking ball glows bright white.

Riolu thinks as the shockwaves from the charging Aura Sphere rips through the entire area, 'I have to finish this in ten minutes, otherwise we're as good as dead…'

The shockwaves grow larger and thousands of regular Aura Spheres fly out, riding the shockwaves directed towards the demons.

As the Aura Spheres makes contact with the demons, blood rains down from the holes in each of their chests or other limbs where the spheres came into contact.

As Riolu continues to fire his attack, Zorua is still up in the sky, slashing at each demon with his Night Slash, but also his own forming claws.

Zorua's arms, hair, and the upper part of his face are the only parts that have transformed.

Zorua is trying desperately to fight against the Hell Spirit Blade's control as he fights.

Zorua thinks as he slashes a demons head off with his claws, 'I'm not going to lose myself to you, Darkrai! I don't want to be your apprentice!'

After he stabs the last demon he's fighting in the head and drops the body down to the water, Riolu has completely destroyed all of the demons that came towards him with his Aura Sphere barrage.

Riolu has an exhausted expression on his face, but he yells out of Zorua, "Zorua, come one back down before your transformation goes on any further!"

Zorua nods his head as he falls down straight towards the ship, still in his half Riolu, half Darkrai form.

But when Zorua landed on the deck of the ship and was about to head over to Riolu, both Zorua and Riolu's eyes widen with shock as they feel everything around them shaking violently.

When Zorua quickly went to the side of the ship and looked down at the water, his eyes widen with shock as he sees a giant arm burst out of the water right next to the ship.

Zorua looks back to the other side of the ship and sees another giant arm burst out of the water.

Zorua has a serious expression in his eyes and he says, "Is there actually a giant demon underneath the ship?"

Riolu has a shocked expression on his face as he looks straight out in front of the ship and he says, "Not just one…"

Zorua looks at the back of the ship and sees another giant arm burst out of the water and Riolu sees one coming out in front of the ship.

Zorua has a serious expression on his face as he says, "Damn! There are actually two of these bastards?"

Before Riolu could answer, the boat begins to shake from underneath the ship.

Riolu then replies with a serious expression on his face, "It seems as though it is actually one demon. But… judging by the size of its arms, it's a big one!"

Zorua has a shocked expression on his face as he sees the ship being lifted up into the air. But none of the arms has a hold of the ship.

When Zorua went to the side of the ship again and looked straight down, his eyes widen with shock when he realizes that the ship is lying on top of the demon's giant, spiky, scaly head.

The demon has bass like whiskers growing out of the corners of its mouth and lets out a malevolent roar, revealing its rows upon rows of shark like teeth.

Riolu has a look of concern on his face as he thinks, 'There's no way I can take on this demon with my attacks alone. Even with Arceus's aura sealed within my soul, I still haven't trained enough to master it perfectly. Which means… the only thing that can defeat that thing is…'

Riolu looks right at the slowly transforming Zorua and he finishes, 'Is Zorua in his Hell Spirit form…'

Zorua looks directly at Riolu and he asks with a serious expression on his face, "How the hell are we supposed to kill something like this?"

Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he replies while keeping both of his hands on the wheel, "This might sound insane, but the only thing that could destroy it is your Hell Spirit form. This means…"

Zorua has a look of concern on his face as he finishes, "I'll have to allow this power to take over…"

Riolu nods his head with a serious expression on his face and he replies while looking back at Zorua with his body still facing the front of the ship, "I'm afraid so… but I'll be sure to bring you back to your sanity after you kill this demon."

Zorua just stares into Riolu's eyes with a serious look in his.

After the giant kraken like demon stops roaring, Zorua nods his head and he replies, "You better, Riolu. Remember, this will be the only time I'll use it…"

Riolu nods his head and he says, "I will."

After Riolu lets go of the steering wheel, Zorua closes his eyes with a serious expression on his face.

Large amounts of dense black aura explodes out of Zorua's body, completely covering him.

As Zorua is within the black aura, Riolu faces Zorua and he closes his eyes.

As he closes his eyes, Riolu thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'I might not be able to do anything to kill this demon… but,'

Riolu opens his eyes and large amounts of white aura explodes out of his body like fire.

Riolu finishes as blade shaped aura takes form over both of Riolu's arms, 'I can at least keep this demon from attacking you!'

The Aura Blades went from blue to white after the dense black aura flowing out of Zorua clears.

Zorua is in his normal form, but with sharper claws, teeth, horns, and his eyes are completely shadow black.

Riolu thinks when he sees Zorua in this form, 'Zorua… you're still fighting for control, aren't you?'

Zorua roars loudly like a demon and jumps straight towards the arm that took form from the right side of the ship.

Riolu has a serious expression on his face and he thinks as he sees another wave of flying demons charging towards Zorua, 'My main job now will be to defend Zorua from the flying demons' attacks. Zorua's main job…'

Riolu follows Zorua with a large jump and he finishes, 'Is to kill this bastard and maintain his sanity!'

Zorua has a blood thirsty look on his face, but from within his soul, his normal mind thinks, 'I won't turn into, Darkrai! I'll be sure of that!'


	11. Chapter 11: Battle in the Seas of Death

Chapter 11: Battle of the Sea of Darkness

As Zorua flies straight towards one of the demon kraken's arms with a trail of black aura behind him like a tail of a comet, the flying demons lets out menacing roars and are about to attack Zorua.

Riolu has a serious expression in his eyes as he thinks with a trail of white aura flying behind him as well, 'Here it goes! I need to keep Zorua from getting knocked out by these bastards!'

While Zorua focuses his attention more on the giant arm, most of the demons cover his sides.

Riolu yells out with a serious expression on his face, "Double Team!"

The white aura forming out of Riolu forms two more clones of him, protecting both of Zorua's sides and slashing at the demon, causing pools of blood and bodies to fall into the sea.

Riolu thinks as he keeps his attention on Zorua's back, 'Good luck, Zorua!'

As the clones slash away violently at the flying demons, Zorua sinks his claws into the giant arm and starts biting violently at the arm, opening up the skin, causing blood to pour down.

The giant kraken demon lets out a loud roar and Zorua lifts his left front paw away from the arm, charging up for a powerful Nigh Slash.

As dense black aura generates out of Zorua's left arm taking shape of a blade, several of the flying demons take out the two clones and flies straight towards Zorua with blood thirst looks in their eyes.

After Riolu lands on top of the demon's palm, he jumps down towards all of the demons, with the two Aura Blades still activated.

As he flies down straight towards them, he thinks with a serious expression in his fiery Aura Eyes, 'I won't allow you bastards to get through!'

Riolu lands right in front of Zorua in midair and aims both of his hands at the demons.

Riolu has a serious expression in his eyes and he thinks while the white aura surrounding his body grows larger with power, 'Arceus, lend me your power!'

As Riolu closes one eye and aims carefully at the middle of the mob, a red plate appears in midair above Riolu and slowly takes form back into the aura.

After the red plate took form inside the fire of white aura, flaming Aura Spheres bursts out of Riolu's hands, taking down every demon that comes into its path.

Riolu looks back at Zorua with a serious expression on his face and he yells out with a meager amount of sweat rolling down his face, "What are you waiting for, Zorua? Do it already!"

Zorua roars like a demon as he slashes his Nigh Slash through the demon's entire arm, cutting it down like what a chainsaw does to a tree.

As the severed part of the arm falls into the water and Zorua cancels his Night Slash, the kraken demon lets out a malevolent roar, which summons more flying demons to its aid.

Riolu has a look of seriousness in his eyes and he thinks after he stops firing his attack and finished off the last of the wave, 'Damn… there are more of them coming this way!'

When Riolu looks back, he sees Zorua already flying straight towards the next arm that appeared in front of the ship.

Riolu has a serious expression in his eyes and he thinks as he flies straight towards Zorua, 'Only three more to go! But…'

Riolu has a look of concern in his eyes as he thinks, 'I'm already starting to run low on energy… even with the white aura as back up, I'm reaching my limit.'

After Zorua reaches the next arm and sinks his claws into it, all of the flying demons in this wave fly down straight towards Zorua with all of their mouths hanging wide open.

Before one of the demons could attack Zorua, Riolu instantly appears by Zorua's side and slashes that demon's head off with one single swing of his Aura Blade.

As that demons starts falling down towards the water, Riolu aims both palms at the oncoming wave of demons and starts firing the thousands of flaming Aura Spheres.

While Riolu continues firing at the demons, his eyes widen with shock as he feels enormous shockwaves of energy coming from behind him.

When Riolu looked back at Zorua, his mouth hangs wide open with shock when he sees the power of the black aura growing stronger than ever before.

Riolu thinks as he sees long red and black flaming hair growing out of the top of Zorua's head, 'Z-Zorua… this power…'

Riolu looks back at all of the demons he is fighting against and his eyes widen with shock when he realizes that most of them are retreating.

After Riolu stops firing his Aura Spheres and looks back at Zorua, his eyes widen with shock once more as he sees Zorua instantly slicing off the kraken's arm off in one single blow again, but only in a matter of seconds.

Zorua is already flying straight towards the next arm at such a quick speed, that he instantly slices off that arm in a matter of seconds as well.

The kraken lets out a malevolent roar and it tries to knock Zorua off course by trying to swat him away with his remaining arm.

But Zorua doesn't change course and continues flying straight towards the giant palm coming his way.

When Riolu blinked his eyes and looked at Zorua again from where he was left, his eyes widen with shock when he notices a demon skull mask of Zorua taking form over his face.

Zorua intercepts with the giant hand, blasting right through it. But Zorua sinks his claws into the tops of the kraken's hand and lifts his front left leg away from the hand, charging up for a fierce Night Slash.

But as he charges up to attack, the kraken moves his hand towards his mouth, about to take a bite out of his hand in order to kill Zorua.

But Riolu reappears right in front of the giant kraken's right eye and forcefully stabs his Aura Blade into its eye.

The kraken lets out a roar of agony and tries to swat Riolu away from his right eye, completely distracted from Zorua.

After Riolu pulls out his right arm and flies straight towards the kraken's left eye, Zorua slices straight through the kraken's remaining arm, cutting it in half from the top of hole in its hand down to its elbow.

The demon lets out an agonizing roar as its blood spills into the ocean, causing the ocean to turn red.

Riolu flies up straight towards the ship on the top of the kraken's head and he thinks with a serious expression in his eyes, 'After Zorua finishes the kraken off with one more final blow, I'll have to use the rest of my remaining energy to bring Zorua back.'

As the kraken tries to take a bite out of Zorua but keeps missing, Riolu lands on the deck of the ship and grabs a hold of the wheel, using it as a support.

Riolu pants heavily as he focuses the remaining white aura into the palm of his right hand, taking form of a sphere.

Riolu looks down at Zorua and he thinks with an exhausted look on his face, 'You're on your own with this one, Zorua…'

The demon kraken tries to take a bite out of Zorua again, but Zorua just dodges it without any problems.

As Zorua flies straight towards the kraken's face, he thinks as himself, 'I won't allow myself to be taken over completely!'

Riolu looks down at Zorua with a look of shock in his eyes when he notices the mask in front of Zorua's face is crumbling away, and the flaming hair has disappeared.

Riolu thinks with an amazed expression on his face, 'Is Zorua actually still fighting for control?'

When Zorua sinks his claws into the kraken's face, he yells out as his eyes starts glowing blood red with black aura radiating out of his eyes like fire, "I won't let you take over my soul!"

As the kraken stares into Zorua's eyes, its left eye widens with shock and the pupils start to dilate completely, covering its entire eye.

As the demon's body starts to crack up like fissures, Riolu looks down at Zorua with a look of amazement in his eyes and he thinks as he sees Zorua's claws and fangs slowly returning to normal size and the black aura slowly lingers away, 'I can't believe what I'm seeing! Zorua is actually fighting the Hell Spirit Blade's control!'

But while Zorua continues to stare into the kraken's eye, sweat rolls down Zorua's face and he has an exhausted expression on his face.

As the cracks on the kraken's body grew larger, Zorua's eyes widen with shock after the black aura just explodes out of his body.

Zorua's mouth hangs wide open with shock and he screams in agony as the black aura is slowly forcing his body to transform into Darkrai's body.

Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he thinks while seeing Zorua slowly turning into Darkrai, 'Well… so much for that idea!'

After Riolu runs to the side of the ship and jumps off of it down towards Zorua, the kraken shatters into thousands of pieces like glass with its blood pouring down into the ocean.

The boat starts falling down towards the bloody ocean along with Riolu, who still has the sphere of white aura forming out of his palm.

Riolu yells out as he falls down towards Zorua, "Just hang in there, Zorua! Keep fighting for your soul!"

Zorua has a serious expression on his face and he yells back to Riolu, "I'll do what I can! Just hurry up before it fully controls me!"

The right side of Zorua's body has turned into Darkrai, while the other half still remains the same.

Zorua starts falling down towards the water after the black aura radiating out of his body like fire vanishes.

Riolu has a concerned expression on his face and he thinks while falling down towards Zorua through the chunks and pieces of the kraken, 'I need to get to Zorua before he falls into the water! If I don't, he'll transform completely while in the water!'

Riolu closes his eyes and forces large amounts of white aura to form out of his body to use as an accelerator to reach Zorua faster.

Before Zorua's back hits the water, Riolu jabs his right palm onto Zorua's chest, causing the white aura sphere to form into his body.

After he pulls him arm back, the sphere turns into a thread that is connected to Riolu's palm and Zorua's chest. Riolu grabs a hold of Zorua with his left hand and pulls him away from the water and flies to the ship that has just landed into the bloody water.

After Riolu landed on the deck of the ship and laid Zorua on the floor, Zorua's eyes widen with shock as he feels the presence of the white aura flowing throughout his entire body.

As the Darkrai side of Zorua slowly turns back to normal, Riolu's eyes are closes tightly, trying to keep himself from falling over from exhaustion.

But as he tries to bring Zorua back, Riolu hears a voice in his head saying to him, "_Riolu… you're role as a Pokemon… is…_"

Riolu has difficulty hearing the rest once he starts using the rest of his remaining energy on Zorua.

After Zorua's whole body turns back to normal, the white aura thread snaps and Riolu just stands there with his arms falling to his sides and his head just faces down with his eyes shut.

When Zorua got back up onto his feet and looked up at Riolu, his eyes widen with shock when he sees Riolu falling down to the ground on his back, completely knocked out from exhaustion of energy.

Zorua rushes to Riolu's side and calls out his name, but Riolu don't respond as he just lies there.

As Zorua checks for any signs of life, he starts hearing a voice saying to him, "He's alive, Zorua."

Zorua's eyes widen with shock and thinks as he slowly looks directly at the front of the ship, 'That voice… it can't be…'

When Zorua looked where he heard the voice, he sees Mienfoo and Dark Riolu standing there.

Mienfoo is still tied up with cuts and bruises all over her body.

Zorua asks with a serious expression on his face, "What the hell is going on here? I saw you die right in front of my eyes!"

Dark Riolu grins malevolently as he replies in the demon language, "Oh… let's just say I brought her back to life for you, Zorua."

But Zorua still has the same look on his face as he asks, "Did Darkrai send you out here?"

Dark Riolu shook his head no and he replies, "No… in fact, I choose to do this on my own. Besides, it's been such a long time since you've last been on the island."

Zorua looks right at Mienfoo with a concerned expression on his face and he says, "Mienfoo…"

Mienfoo too has a look of concern on her face and she says, "Zorua… I…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Dark Riolu pulls the sharp edge of his double bladed scythe up to Mienfoo's neck.

Zorua's eyes widen with shock and he asks, "What the hell are you doing?"

Dark Riolu looks right at Zorua with a murderous smile on his face and he says, "Even though I brought her back to life, I can still kill her out here with one slice to the neck."

Zorua cries out with tears of fright rolling down his cheeks, "No! Please don't do it!"

Dark Riolu continues, "Tell you what… why don't I go ahead and make you a deal. I'll keep this girl alive for a little while longer if you agree to return to Darkrai as his apprentice."

Zorua has a shocked expression on his face after he hears Dark Riolu's request.

Dark Riolu keeps the blade up close to Mienfoo's neck as he continues, "If you agree now, Mienfoo will survive. But when you do agree, I still have one more task for you to do. But if you don't agree or fail that certain task, well…"

Dark Riolu looks down at Mienfoo's face as he finishes, "You know what will happen."

Mienfoo has tears of fear rolling down her cheeks and tries to shake her head no, but she's too frightened to move.

Zorua's heart rate begins to rise as he looks back and forth at both Mienfoo and Dark Riolu.

He thinks as he looks at them both, 'Mienfoo… I don't want to lose you again, but I don't want to return to Darkrai. But if I decline, Mienfoo will die right in front of me. But if I accept his deal, Mienfoo will live and I'll get to be with her again…'

Zorua shuts his eyes tightly, looking down at the floor, trying to hold back his tears.

When he opens his eyes, he looks directly at Dark Riolu with a weak expression on his face and he answers, "I… accept your offer…"

Dark Riolu moves his scythe away from Mienfoo's neck and he replies, "Good choice, Zorua."

Zorua asks with the same concerned expression on his face, "What is Lord Darkrai's... bidding…?"

Dark Riolu points directly at Riolu and he answers, "Once you and Riolu reach Mirage Island, kill Riolu."

Zorua's eyes widen with shock as he thinks, 'K-kill Riolu!'

He looks down at Riolu with a concerned expression on his face and he thinks, 'But... Riolu just…'

Zorua looks back at Mienfoo and he thinks with a look of panic on his face, 'So if I decline, Mienfoo dies. But if I accept, Riolu dies!'

Dark Riolu says as both he and Mienfoo disappear into the shadows, "I'll give you then to decide. Either you kill Riolu on Mirage Island, or I'll kill Mienfoo."

After they both disappear into the shadows, Dark Riolu's voice continues, "By the way… you'll get your memories back of this situation once you get to Mirage Island. Until then, good luck!"

Zorua's eyes widen with shock when he instantly loses memory of what just took place.

He looks down at Riolu with a concerned look on his face and he thinks, 'I need to find some way to help Riolu. He's still breathing, so all I really need to do is find some Oran Berries on this ship."

While Zorua tries to help Riolu, Dark Riolu and Mienfoo reappear back on the Underworld Island.

Both Dark Riolu and Mienfoo are standing before the torture chamber entrance.

Mienfoo has tears of sadness rolling down her face as she thinks, 'Zorua… I'm so sorry to put you through this…'

As Maractus and Audino carry the depressed Mienfoo into the chamber, Darkrai appears right next to Dark Riolu from the shadows.

But Dark Riolu just stands there, not caring for anything at all.

Darkrai looks directly at Dark Riolu with a curious expression in his eyes and he asks, "So, you went to Zorua already?"

Dark Riolu nods his head and he replies with the same expression on his face, "Yes, my lord. I don't care what you end up doing to me for disobeying orders. Just go for it…"

But Darkrai just asks, "What do you think Zorua will do?"

Dark Riolu replies with his eyes shut, "Zorua's going to follow his heart… I also erased his memory, so he'll get it all back once he reaches Mirage Island…"

Darkrai turns his back on Dark Riolu, starts walking away, and he replies, "Very well…"

After Darkrai disappears into the shadows, Dark Riolu just stands there, staring at the torture chamber deep in thought.


	12. Chapter 12: Stranded Siblings

Chapter 12: Stranded Siblings

It has been five days since Riolu and Zorua fought against the giant kraken. The ship has taken dock on a nearby island and Riolu is still lying unconscious.

He is the small bedroom of the ship, lying down on a twin sized bed.

As Riolu lies there on his bed, Zorua is outside on the small island, trying to find some Oran Berries to give to Riolu.

The island is out of the darkness range, so the sky and water is normal.

Zorua is deep within the forest, still trying to find any signs for berries. When he got to the far end of the forest, his search is over when he finds plenty of Oran Berries hanging from a tree and bushes, followed by a variety of other berries and Apples.

Zorua has a relieved grin on his face as he thinks, 'Alright! This should do for the rest of the trip.'

While Zorua takes off the bag he was wearing on his back and starts to pick some of the berries and apples from the trees and bushes, a voice says from where he came from, "Excuse me!"

Zorua instantly stops what he was doing and looks back. He has a surprised expression on his face when he sees a Kirlia standing there with its arms crossed, staring at Zorua with serious expressions in its eyes.

Zorua has a troubled expression on his face as he asks, "Who are you?"

A female Kirlia replies by saying in a serious tone, "Who am I? Who are you, and why are you stealing food from our island?"

Zorua has a shocked expression on his face as he repeats, "Th-this is your island?"

Kirlia nods her head and she replies while gesturing her right hand out, "That's right, and those berries you have belong to my brother and I."

Zorua blushes from embarrassment and he says while putting the bag down, "I'm terribly sorry… I didn't know there was anyone else on this island."

Zorua looks directly into Kirlia's eyes and he continues, "I actually just got here, and I was trying to find some berries for my fallen friend. He's still back on the boat, unconscious from losing too much energy."

Kirlia still has a suspicious look in her eyes as she says, "Huh… so this friend of yours is back in the ship, huh? Mind leading me to him with a few of the Oran Berries?"

Zorua nods his head, but Kirlia still has her hand out and she continues, "I still want that bag, though."

Zorua has an annoyed expression on his face as he replies, "All right, here…"

Zorua hands Kirlia the bag and she puts it on. After she gets the bag, she looks up into the treetops and gives a hand signal. After she does that, a Pokemon jumps out from the treetops to the left to Zorua and lands on his feet.

Zorua looks to his right and his eyes widen with surprise when he sees a Kirlio standing there.

Kirlio looks exactly like a Kirlia, but the only difference is its small blade like elbows.

Zorua has an impressed expression on his face as he says to Kirlio, "Impressive, I've never even detected your energy levels. You're pretty good at it."

But Kirlio doesn't answer or change his facial expressions. Kirlia faces the direction where the ship is located and she says, "Well now… will it be okay if you lead me to your ship to your fallen friend?"

Zorua looks directly at Kirlia and nods his head, but with an annoying expression on his face.

He thinks as he walks towards Kirlia, 'Damn… she certainly is an untrustworthy…'

Before he could finish his thought, Kirlia says with a deriding grin on her face, "You better not call me that, Zorua. There's no need for such language."

Zorua blushes with surprise and he thinks with a shocked expression in his eyes, 'H-how the hell did she know what I was…'

Before he could finish his thought again, Kirlia finishes for him, "Thought?"

Zorua is standing right next to Kirlia, looking right at her with the same shocked expression on his face.

Kirlia giggles slightly and she answers before Zorua could even ask the question, "It's an ability that we Kirlia and Kirlio have. We are able to read the thoughts and emotions of those we are in contact with. So no matter how hard you want to keep a secret, we can tell what it is before you say a word."

Zorua nods his head with the same expression on his face and he replies, "I see…"

As Zorua looks away and starts walking down the path, he thinks, 'Damn… she's creepy…'

Kirlia replies as she follows Zorua, along with Kirlio, "You better believe it!"

Zorua looks back at Kirlia with a ticked off expression on his face and he says, "Stop doing that!"

After he turns his head away and continues down to path, Kirlia just giggles and thinks, 'Oh this is going to be fun.'

Kirlio walks by Kirlia's side, not saying a word at all.

While Zorua leads Kirlia and Kirlio to the ship, Riolu is still in his room, lying on the bed. He slowly starts to open his eyes, finally waking up after five days. His field of vision is still blurry, so he still can't see too well around him.

As he looks around at the blurry surroundings, he thinks with a confused expression on his face, 'Where am I? How did I get in here?'

He tries to gain his vision back, but he feels too weak to get out of bed. As his vision slowly returns, he continues to think, 'I wonder if Zorua is all right after that battle with that giant demon kraken.'

After his vision returns completely, he tries to get up out of bed, but when he was half way up, his legs and arms shake too badly and he falls back into the bed.

Riolu starts panting heavily after he lands back in bed and he thinks with a look of concern on his face, 'I guess I pushed it too much during that battle. I can barely move anymore…'

As Riolu lies there and looks around in the room, all he sees is the nightstand right next to his bed and the window looking out at the island.

Riolu grins with a relieved expression on his face and he thinks, 'Phew… it looks like Zorua got us docked to this island all on his own while I was out.'

While he stares out the window, he has a surprised expression on his face when he sees Zorua walking out of the forest with a Kirlia and Kirlio walking behind him.

Riolu thinks with a curious look on his face, 'Did Zorua end up making new friends while I was out or something?'

Zorua leads Kirlia and Kirlio onto the boat. When they got on, Riolu hears the doorknob begin to turn, and the door opens. Zorua was about to enter, until Kirlia pulls him out of the room and she says, "Hey, ladies first!"

Zorua lets out a sigh of annoyance and holds the door open for Kirlia and Kirlio. After they got inside, Zorua enters and closes the door behind him.

Riolu asks with a curious grin on his face, "Hey, Zorua. Did you make some friends on this island or something?"

Zorua looks right at Riolu with an annoyed expression on his face and he replies, "You can say that…"

Kirlia looks right at Zorua with a suspicious look on her face and she says, "What's the deal with this? I thought you told us that your friend was knocked out."

Zorua looks right at Kirlia with an annoyed expression on his face and he says, "He was knocked out…"

Riolu says with a curious look on his face, "Actually, I just woke up. I tried to get out of bed a little bit ago, but I ended up falling back down after my arms and legs gave out."

Kirlia looks right at Riolu with a suspicious look on her face and tries to tell if he's lying. But her suspicion seems to have disappeared and she gives Riolu and approving smile.

She says while throwing the bag or berries over to Riolu, "Judging from your aura, I can tell you have a good heart. So I'll believe you."

Zorua looks directly at Kirlia with a ticked off expression on his face and he starts yelling, "What the hell? Why do you believe him and not me?"

Kirlia looks right at Zorua with a deriding grin on her face and she replies, "It's because Riolu has a brighter aura than you do, which means he's an honest and kind type of Pokemon."

Zorua has an annoyed expression on his face and he looks directly at Riolu, who grabs an Oran Berry out of the bag and takes a bite out of it.

Zorua says to Riolu with the same annoyed expression on his face, "Riolu… can you tell them that I was telling the truth."

Before Riolu could answer, Kirlia cuts in by saying, "What's the magic word, Zorua?"

Zorua looks up at Kirlia with a ticked off expression on his face and he says in a serious tone, "Are you serious?"

Kirlia nods her head and she replies, "Yep. Now what's the magic word?"

Zorua looks back at Riolu with the same annoyed look on his face and he says under his breath, "Damn it…"

Zorua inhales deeply and asks again, "Riolu… can you please tell this psycho Kirlia and her brother that I was telling the damn truth?"

Kirlia smacks Zorua on the back of the head and she says, "There's no need for such language!"

As Kirlia and Zorua glare at each other with malevolent expressions on their faces, Kirlio walks over to Riolu, trying not to get into the crossfire between the two.

As Riolu continues to eat the Oran Berry, he looks right at Kirlio and he asks, "So what happened?"

Kirlio looks right at Riolu and he replies in a soft tone of voice with the same expressionless look on his face, "Zorua was taking some of our berries and apples. Of course, Zorua didn't know that we were on this island, but my sister tends to take things to seriously."

Riolu nods his head and he replies while looking back at Kirlia and Zorua getting into an argument, "I see. I'm sorry if it seemed that Zorua was stealing. He was actually trying to get me some Oran Berries so I can get my energy back. I guess he was also trying to supply us with food for our trip."

Kirlio looks down at Riolu and asks, "Where are you and Zorua going, anyway?"

Riolu replies when he looks into Kirlio's eyes, "We're actually heading to Mirage Island."

But Kirlio remains emotionless as he replies, "Interesting. I've heard of legends about that island, but I've never heard of anyone ever reaching that island."

Both Riolu and Kirlio look back at Zorua and Kirlia and Riolu asks after taking another bite out of his Oran Berry, "Do you by any chance know how far away we are from Mirage Island?"

Kirlio replies while he crosses his arms, "Actually, you're four islands away from it. However, it will take you at least two weeks minimum to reach Mirage Island, depending if you make any stops on the nearby islands or not."

Riolu nods his head and he replies with a calm expression on his face, "I see… so it'll take longer than I thought to reach it."

Kirlio nods his head and he replies, "Yeah… by the way," He looks down at Riolu and he asks, "There should be an island nearby where you two are heading. Will it be okay if we can ride with you guys to that island and just drop us off there?"

Riolu looks up at Kirlio with a smile on his face and he replies, "I suppose we could do that. It's the least I can do for you guys allowing me to have some of these berries."

Kirlio actually has a surprised expression on his face as he replies, "Really? You actually mean that?"

Riolu nods his head and he replies, "Of course I mean it. I'm assuming this island you want to go to is your home?"

Kirlio nods his head with a calm expression on his face and he replies, "Yeah… you see, my sister and I were stranded on this island for a few years. We were trying to find a way to get back, but there was no one who could help."

Riolu grins and he replies after taking the last bite out of the Oran Berry he was working on, "Well that's going to change today. We'll take you and your sister over to your home."

Before Kirlio and Riolu could continue on with their conversation, Kirlia bursts in and asks, "Riolu, we've been on this island for a few years and were wondering if we could…!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Riolu finishes, "You were wondering if we could ride you back to your home island, correct?"

Kirlia just stands there with a shocked expression on her face. She points at Riolu with a freaked out look on her face and she asks, "H-how the hell do you know that?"

While Zorua rolls around on the floor, laughing at Kirlia's expression, Kirlio answers in his calm tone, "Riolu and I have already talked about it. He already accepted our offer."

While Kirlia just pauses there, Zorua stops laughing and rolling around on the floor and he asks, "So how does it feel to have that happen to you, huh?"

Kirlia looks back at Zorua with a ticked off expression on her face and she yells back, "Shut the hell up!"

But Zorua just laughs playfully and he adds, "No need for such language, Kirlia!"

Kirlia glares at Zorua while he just laughs at her.

As Kirlia jumps towards Zorua and he starts running out of the room, laughing while she chases him all over the boat, Riolu and Kirlio have troubled expressions on their faces as they both think at the same time, "Oh yay… on a boat with those two together…"


	13. Chapter 13: Legacy

Chapter 13: Legacy

It has been two days since Riolu and Zorua first arrived on Kirlia's and Kirlio's island. They are already out at sea with Kirlio controlling the ship, waiting for Riolu to regain his strength again so he can control the ship again.

The Oran Berries helped him regain is ability to restore energy, but it takes a while for him to revive to full potential.

Three days have now passed by, and Riolu is back to full strength. He slowly gets up out of his bed, testing out his arms and legs to see if he can use them. Riolu smiles as he gets up out of his bed with no problems at all.

He stretches out his arms and legs with his eyes closed and he thinks, 'Finally, I can get out of the bed now.'

When he stops stretching and opens his eyes, he sees Zorua rushing into the room and shutting the door behind him quietly. But he's panting heavily with an annoyed expression on his face.

Riolu asks with a curious look on his face, "Is everything all right with you?"

Zorua looks directly at Riolu with a surprised expression on his face when he sees Riolu standing up out of bed, but his surprised expression soon turns back to an annoyed expression as he whispers, "It's Kirlia… she's annoying the crap out of me."

Riolu replies, "I'm sorry to hear that. By the way," Riolu has a curious expression on his face as he asks, "How far are we from their home island?"

Zorua shrugs his shoulders and he replies, "Beats me… I haven't talked to Kirlio yet ever since we've set sailed. I've been dealing with Kirlia this whole time."

Riolu nods his head and he replies as he walks towards the door, "All right. I'll go talk to Kirlio and see how far we are from…"

Before he could finish his sentence, he hears Kirlia screaming with fright.

Both Riolu and Zorua look right at the door with shocked expressions on their faces and Riolu thinks while Zorua asks out loud at the same time, "What the hell was that?"

Riolu quickly rushes to the door and opens it. When they both got outside onto the deck, they see Kirlia standing there, looking up at the captain's area on the top of the room with a shocked expression on her face.

When both Zorua and Riolu looked up where she's looking, their eyes widen with shock when they see another giant demon kraken forming out of the water.

Kirlio is looking back at the kraken with a look of shock on his face and he yells out, "What the hell is that thing?"

Riolu has a look of concern on his face when he looked up at the sky and noticed that the sky is completely dark where the kraken is located. Riolu thinks, 'Damn it… the darkness has already reached this point now!'

Riolu yells out to Kirlio, "Kirlio, get the hell down from there!"

Kirlio does what Riolu says without any question and manages to dodge he kraken's hand that tried to grab a hold of him.

Riolu has a look of concern on his face as he thinks, 'Another one of these bastards, huh? I guess Darkrai really must want to get Zorua back.'

Riolu looks back at Kirlia and Kirlio with a serious expression on his face and he asks, "How strong are your psychic powers? Are you guys able to use it to increase the speed of this ship?"

Kirlio nods his head and he replies with a serious expression on his face, "Yeah… but there's a limit to what we can do with our Psychic attack to do such a thing."

Riolu asks with a serious expression on his face, "How long can you two last together?"

Kirlia replies with a serious expression on her face, "About ten minutes…"

Riolu looks up at the kraken with a serious expression on his face and he thinks, 'That'll have to do… for now. Unless…'

Riolu looks back at Kirlio and he says, "Kirlio, you use your Psychic to increase the speed of the ship! Kirlia, you use Psychic to hold down the kraken's arms once it gets into range!"

Riolu looks right at Zorua with a serious expression on his face as he says, "Zorua and I will have to fight this bastard again. Just be sure to hold down the kraken's arms once it gets into range of the ship, got it?"

Kirlia nods her head with a serious expression on her face and she replies, "Alright, if that's what you want me to do."

Riolu looks back at Kirlio and nods his head, signaling Kirlio to use his Psychic to increase the speed of the ship. As Kirlio focuses most of his energy into the ship, the ships speed steadily increases from thirty miles per hour to eighty miles per hour.

But the kraken keeps up with the ship, leaning its body down forward like a snake as it swims its way towards the ship.

Riolu looks up at the sky with a serious expression on his face when he realizes that the darkness in the sky and the environment behind the kraken has already changed.

Zorua looks right at Riolu with a serious expression on his face and he asks, "Are you sure you're ready for this, Riolu? You've just got all of your energy back!"

Riolu nods his head with a serious expression on his face and he yells out through the wind, "Don't worry about me! Just be sure not to lose control again when you fight!"

Zorua nods his head and he transforms into Riolu. Riolu charges up for an Aura Blade in both arms, while Zorua charges up for a Night Slash in both arms, forming the black aura coming out of his arms into the shape of razor sharp blades.

Riolu looks back at Kirlia and he says with a serious expression on his face, "Keep your guard up and get ready! When you notice one of its arms are about to attack the ship, keep it in place with Psychic and we'll take care of the rest!"

Kirlia nods her head and stands her ground. Riolu looks at the direction where the kraken is coming and he yells out to Zorua, "Let's go, Zorua!"

Zorua nods his head and he replies with a serious expression on his face, "Right!"

As both Riolu and Zorua make a running start and jumps straight towards the kraken, Kirlia thinks with a serious expression in her eyes, 'Good luck out there…'

As the kraken slowly straightens itself up to where from the waist up is out of the water, Riolu and Zorua continue to fly straight towards the kraken, about to launch their attacks.

But while Riolu flies through the air, he has a troubled expression on his face as he thinks, 'What the…?'

White aura automatically explodes out of Riolu's body like wildfire as Riolu continues, 'My aura's agitated… what the hell is going on here?'

After Riolu reaches the kraken's left eye and stabs his right arm though it, he starts hearing a voice say in his head as the kraken swings its head back and forth, trying to get Riolu off, "_Riolu… your role as a Pokemon is…_"

After Riolu pulls his right arm out of the kraken's left eye and jumps off of it and flies down straight towards the ship, he thinks with a concerned expression on his face, 'It's that voice again! But what is it?'

After Riolu lands on the deck of the ship again, faces the kraken again and jumps off of the deck towards the kraken, he hears the voice say to him again, "_Riolu… spirit blades… keys…_"

After Riolu reaches the kraken's upper right arm, he climbs up to the wrist by stabbing his Aura Blades into the kraken's arm to climb up.

Riolu continues to think with a serious expression on his face, 'What is this voice trying to tell me? Who are you?'

After Riolu reaches the wrist with a trail of blood flowing down the kraken's arm, he rises his right arm away from the kraken's wrist. After he moves his arm away, huge amounts of white aura explodes out of the arm alone.

After Riolu swings his right arm down at the wrist, Kirlia's eyes widen with shock when she sees Riolu slicing the kraken's hand off in one single slice.

As Riolu pulls his left arm out of the kraken's arm and flies back towards the ship, Kirlia thinks with a look of shock on her face, 'Riolu… what's happened to you?'

After Zorua lands back on the deck, he looks directly at Riolu and he thinks with a look of concern on his face, 'Riolu… what the hell is going on with your white aura? It feels way too different now…'

Riolu lands on the deck and faces the kraken again, who is moving its head down towards the ship, about to take a bite out of the back of the ship.

But Riolu just walks to the back of the boat with his right hand out. After he gets to the back of the ship, the white aura grows larger than ever before like a powerful uncontrollable blaze.

The kraken intercepts with Riolu's right hand, but it stopped dead in its tracks. Riolu holds on tight to the kraken's nose as he hears the voice say, "_Open your eyes, Riolu! Don't you understand what your true motive is?_"

Riolu screams out, "I don't want to hear it!"

Riolu stabs his left arm into the kraken's face, turning his arm in many directions like a key in a keyhole.

The kraken lets out a murderous roar and it lifts its head back up, taking Riolu along with it.

Zorua has a serious expression on his face as he thinks, 'What the hell is going on here? Why is Riolu freaking out like this?'

Zorua makes a running head start and jumps up straight towards the kraken again with both Night Slashes still ready to attack.

As Riolu pulls out his left arm and starts climbing up the kraken's face up using his Aura Blades to climb up, the voice says back to Riolu, "_Riolu… you'll have to face the truth sooner or later!_"

Riolu says once he reaches the kraken's forehead and pulls his right arm back, "I… don't…" Riolu screams out as the Aura Blade on his right arm grows larger, "I don't want to hear it!"

Riolu stabs his right arm into the kraken's forehead, causing large amounts of blood to pour down from the kraken's forehead wound.

The kraken lets out an agonizing roar and it tries to swing Riolu off by flailing its head. But Riolu holds on tight, and stabs the kraken again with his left arm, increasing the size of the wound.

After Riolu pulls out his left arm, he stabs below the wound, climbing down the kraken's face. After the kraken stops flailing its head, Riolu jumps off of the kraken's face and starts falling down towards the deck of the ship again.

But as he flies down, he faces the kraken again in midair and aims both of his hands at the kraken's head.

After Zorua lands back on the deck, Kirlia thinks with a shocked expression on her face, 'This power… what's Riolu about to do?'

Riolu says with both his and the inner voice's voices combining as a sphere of blue and white aura takes form in front of his palms, "Let this…" Riolu's eyes turned into the Aura Eyes as he yells out, "Let this reveal your Judgment!"

The sphere instantly grows larger and thousands of blue and white arrows like beams shoot out of the sphere, flying straight towards the kraken with shockwaves bursting out of them all.

As the arrows make contact with the kraken, thousands of holes instantly appear all over its body. Blood pours down from all of the holes instantly as the kraken lets out a roar of agony.

Zorua's eyes widen with shock as he thinks, 'Riolu… this power that's coming out of you… is this what I'm like when I'm losing control?'

Kirlia thinks as she stares at Riolu's attack with a mesmerized expression in her eyes, 'There's no question about it… that's the attack called Judgment! But the only one that could use that is…'

Kirlia finishes after Riolu stops firing the aura arrows and the kraken collapses into the bloody water, 'Arceus!'

Riolu continues to fall straight towards the deck of the ship with his back facing it.

As the white aura slowly begins to disappear, the voice says to Riolu as he closes his eyes, "_You're role… in order for you to return as a human… is… to…_"

The voice is cut off after Riolu thinks, 'I already know what my role is… the one that was given to me by Arceus. It's to bring the Hell Spirit Blade to him and destroy it, right?'

After Riolu's Aura Blade deactivates, the voice replies back, "_Riolu… Arceus didn't tell you than, huh?_"

After Riolu smacks down onto the deck of the ship right in between Kirlia and Zorua, he replies back, 'What do you mean by that? What hasn't Arceus told me?'

The voice replies as Riolu's body just stares up at the sky with his eyes wide open, seeing Kirlia and Zorua looking down at him with worried expressions on their faces, "_The fact that it's impossible for even the gods to destroy the spirit blades, of course._"

As Kirlia and Zorua help Riolu back up by having his arms around both of their shoulders and his head just looking down at the deck, Riolu thinks in a shocked tone, 'Wh-what… if that's the case, then what's my main role for being a Pokemon?'

The voice replies as Kirlia and Zorua starts to walk Riolu over to his room, the voice replies, "_If you're thinking that you have to destroy Darkrai… that's incorrect. No one, not even humans, can destroy gods._"

After Zorua and Kirlia gets Riolu into his room and lies him down on the bed, Riolu asks in a serious tone, 'Than what is my main goal for being a Pokemon? If it has nothing to do with the Hell Spirit Blade or the destruction of Darkrai, than what's the biggest threat?'

The voice replies after Zorua and Kirlia leave the room, "_Isn't it obvious, Riolu? Can't you see what the main threat to the Pokemon World is?_"

It takes Riolu a few minutes, but then he replies in a shocked tone, 'Y-you don't mean it's…!'

The voice replies after Riolu falls into a deep sleep, "_That's right… you've guessed correctly._"

Before Riolu falls further into his deep sleep, he thinks of the name, 'Zorua…'


	14. Chapter 14: Allies

Chapter 14: Two New Allies

It has been two days since Riolu and Zorua fought against the second kraken. Riolu is still in his bed, still sleeping.

But after one more hour of sleeping passes by, Riolu opens his eyes slowly.

As he sits back up, with his right hand over his right eye, trying to get rid of a headache, he thinks with a confused expression on his face as he looks around at his surroundings, 'Wh-where am I… how did I end up here?'

When Riolu got a good look at his right arm, he sees blood stains in his fur.

He thinks as he looks out the window of the boat, 'Now that I think about it… we were being chased by a kraken. I wonder if Zorua and Kirlia managed to beat it.'

Riolu has lost parts of his memory when he was in his white aura form. He hears the doorknob squeak and he looks directly at the door and sees Kirlia walking in.

After she closes the door behind her quietly, she asks with a look of concern on her face, "Are you all right, Riolu?"

Riolu nods his head, but he asks with the same confused expression on his face, "How did I end up in here, and did you guys manage to defeat the kraken after I got knocked out?"

Kirlia has a concerned expression on her face and she replies, "So you did lose your memory of the battle, huh?"

Riolu asks with the same expression on his face, "What are you talking about, Kirlia?"

As Kirlia walks up to Riolu's bed side, she asks with a concerned expression in her eyes, "Riolu… did you know that it was you who killed the kraken with your white aura?"

Riolu's eyes widen with shock and he asks, "R-really… but why don't I remember anything about it?"

Kirlia stands right by his bed side and she replies while looking down at him, "I don't know why, but the only words we heard you scream out were 'I don't want to hear it' as you fought."

After Kirlia explained that part of the battle, Riolu's memory of that battle start to return but the memories of him learning the truth from his inner voice still remains hidden.

Riolu replies back softly with a concerned expression on his face, "Now I remember the battle… but everything else afterwards is a complete blank…"

Kirlia asks with a look of concern on her face, "Riolu… is it true that you have Arceus's power within you?"

Riolu instantly has a serious expression on his face when he hears what Kirlia asked. He thought as he shuts his eyes, 'So… I wasn't in control of my body at all during that fight.'

Riolu looks up at Kirlia with a serious expression in his eyes and he says, "Kirlia… it's true that I do have some of Arceus's power. But not enough to be considered complete."

Kirlia nods her head with a calm expression on her face and she replies, "I see… anyway, is everything all right with Zorua?"

Riolu's serious expression turns into a look of concern and he looks down at the surface of his bed with a concerned expression in his eyes. Riolu replies, "I'm guessing you've read his emotions, huh?"

Kirlia nods her head and she asks with a curious expression on her face, "Tell me, Riolu. What has that child been through when you first met him?"

When Riolu looked up at Kirlia, he hears Zorua reply from behind her, "My friends, my family, and my life…"

Kirlia looks back at Zorua, who is at the doorway, replying with a depressed expression on his face, "They're all dead..."

Kirlia asks with a concerned expression on her face, "How did they die?"

Zorua replies with a serious expression on his face, "It's because of Darkrai, the ruler of the Underworld. He and his army of demons came up from their world and took over my home island…"

Kirlia has a look of concern on her face as she says, "That explains the darkness I've been sensing in your soul. So you're Darkrai's…"

Zorua nods his head and replies, "Well… I used to be. Right now, we're heading over to Mirage Island and see if Arceus can fix everything."

Riolu has a look of shock on his face when he starts remembering parts of the conversation he had with the inner voice during the battle. Riolu has a look of concern on his face as he thinks, 'That voice… it told me that it is next to impossible to destroy the spirit blades… even gods don't have that power.'

Riolu has a serious expression in his eyes as he thinks, 'But we still need to go to Mirage Island and at least go to Arceus and see if he can come up with any type of answer.'

Riolu's serious expression morphs into a look of concern as he thinks, 'But my roles as a Pokemon… did that inner voice tell me what my role is?'

Kirlia asks Riolu with a concerned expression on her face, "Are you okay, Riolu?"

Riolu looks up at Kirlia with a calmer expression on his face and he replies, "Yeah… I'll be all right."

Riolu quickly changes the subject by asking Kirlia, "Are we almost there at your home island?"

Kirlia nods her head and she replies, "Yeah. If we go out onto the deck, you can see the island up ahead. Also, we are out of the darkness range, but it looks like there's going to be a pretty bad storm coming our way."

Zorua nods his head with a look of concern on his face and he says to Riolu, "Yeah… it will probably be too dangerous to venture on through the storm on the ship, so we'll probably have to stay on their home island until the storm clears."

Riolu nods his head and he replies, "Yeah… I suppose we should, since there's no other choice."

Riolu looks right at Kirlia and he asks, "By any chance, do you and your brother have your own house?"

Kirlia nods her head and she answers, "Yeah… if you want to stay with us during the time, you can."

Riolu grins at Kirlia and he replies, "Thank you, Kirlia. We won't stay for too long."

Kirlia grins back at Riolu and she replies, "It's all good, Riolu. Besides…" Kirlia looks at Zorua, gives him a deriding grin, and she says, "That means I get to have more time to mess around with Zorua."

Zorua looks right at Kirlia and just gives her a nervous grin. He thinks with a troubled expression behind his fake grin, 'Oh god… I forgot about that.'

Kirlia replies after giggling slightly, "Oh… you'll remember, Zorua."

But Zorua's fake smile vanishes and he just has the nervous expression on his face revealing slowly. Riolu laughs at Zorua's expression and he thinks, 'I'm sure everything will be fine, and I'm also sure everything will turn out fine once we reach Mirage Island.'

Before anyone could say a word, they hear Kirlio yelling from the top of the room behind the wheel, "We are at least twenty minutes away from Illusion Island, and it is already starting to rain! Once we reach the island, you guys head over to the house while I take down the sail!"

Kirlia has a look of concern on her face as she says, "The weather is usually bad here. So once we reach the island, we need to make a run for it to the house. Got it?"

Both Riolu and Zorua nod their heads and wait for the boat to reach the dock of the island.

After the boat is at least ten minutes away from the island, Kirlio yells out, "All right, everyone! The storm is already getting worst outside, and…!"

Before he could finish his sentence, a huge explosion sound is heard that causes small shockwaves to rip through the ship.

After the sound clears, Kirlia yells out Kirlio's name and she asks, "What the hell was that?"

But Kirlio doesn't reply to Kirlia's question.

Before Kirlia heads outside, Riolu says while having his Aura Eyes activated and looking up at Kirlio, "He's all right. The ship just got hit by something."

Kirlia looks back at Riolu with a look of concern in her eyes and she asks, "What did the ship get hit by, though?"

When Riolu looked straight ahead at the island, he replies with a serious expression on his face, "It's the Pokemon of that island that are attacking us… they must've sensed Zorua's aura and came to the beach, prepared to attack us in anyway."

Kirlia has a serious expression on her face as she asked, "But why would they be attacking us, though? Why would they be after you and Zorua?"

Riolu closes his eyes with a serious expression on his face and he replies, "It's because one of our friends committed suicide in front of our previous home, in order for everyone else to know that Zorua is Darkrai's apprentice…"

Kirlia has a look of concern on her face as she replies back, "I see…"

Kirlia closes her eyes and she says with a grin on her face, "Well then… I guess Kirlio and I can just scratch our plans with returning home."

Kirlia opens her eyes with a serious grin on her face and she says, "If those Pokemon are planning on hurting my friends, they can kiss my ass!"

Zorua has a surprised expression on his face when he heard what Kirlia just said.

His surprised expression turned into a confident grin and he says, "Well now… I didn't think you'd say something like that."

Before Kirlia could reply to Zorua's statement, Riolu looks up at the ceiling and yells out at Kirlio while more long distance attacks makes contact with the ship, "Change of plans, Kirlio! We're going to head for Mirage Island first!"

Kirlio yells back to Riolu and the others, "Got it! I don't want these guys to hurt any of you, either!"

After Kirlio changes directions and starts going around the island from three thousand feet away, Riolu has a shocked expression on his face when he senses two battleships setting out from the island and sailing straight towards them from behind.

Riolu quickly gets up out of bed and rushes out to the deck, followed by Zorua and Kirlia.

After they got out to the deck in the harsh rain, Riolu goes to the side of the ship and looks behind it, seeing the two battleships following them.

Kirlia and Zorua see what's coming and Kirlia says with a serious expression on her face, "Damn… I wasn't expecting for them to send out battleships in this weather."

Riolu rushes up to the captain's area and sees Kirlio still manning the wheel with blood tricking down from his mount on his arm.

Riolu says to Kirlio with a serious expression on his face, "Kirlio, I need you to go ahead and go down to the deck…"

Kirlio nods his head and gives Riolu the wheel.

After Riolu grabs the wheel, he looks down at Kirlia and Kirlio with a serious expression on his face and he yells out, "Remember what Kirlio did before when we fought the last kraken? Well this time, both Kirlio and Kirlia will be speeding up the ship! We have to get away from these guys before they start open firing!"

Riolu looks directly at Zorua and he says to him, "You better get back inside the cabin, Zorua! We're going to go above one hundred miles per hour and try to get as close as we can to Mirage Island!"

Zorua nods his head with a serious expression on his face and he quickly rushes into the cabin.

After he gets inside, Riolu looks down at Kirlia and Kirlio and he yells out, "I hope you two will have enough energy for this!"

Both Kirlia and Kirlio nod their heads and Kirlia replies with a confident smile on her face, "Don't worry about that, Riolu! I usually make Kirlio look bad when it comes to using Psychic!"

Kirlio only has a calm expression on his face as he nods his head in agreement.

Riolu grins confidently at Kirlia and he replies, "Good to know! Well then…" Riolu yells out as he cancels his Aura Eyes ability, "Let's get out of here!"

After the two battleships start firing a mob of Zap Cannons, Kirlia and Kirlio launch their Psychic on the boat, instantly causing its speed to dramatically increase from ten miles per hour to one hundred ten miles per hour.

Riolu holds on tight to the wheel as the gravitational force tries to pull him back.

Riolu's eyes are shut tightly as Kirlia goes over board and increases the speed dramatically again.

Riolu thinks while he has his eyes shut and holding on tight to the wheel, "This is insane! I never thought Kirlia would have this type of power!"

When Riolu opened his eyes and looks back, he has a shocked expression on his face when he realizes that the two battleships are nowhere to be found.

When Riolu looks straight ahead, his eyes widen with shock when he realizes that the surroundings of the ship have turned into streaks.

It doesn't take Kirlia long to start feeling exhausted and starts slowing down the ship to about one hundred miles per hour.

After the speed drops to sixty miles per hour, Riolu looks down at Kirlia and yells out with a look of concern on his face, "Are you all right, Kirlia?"

Kirlia pants heavily with an exhausted expression on her face and she replies, "Y-yeah… I just went a little overboard…"

When Riolu looks straight ahead, he say with a serious expression on his face, "Actually… you've done it perfectly…"

When Kirlia and Kirlio looked straight ahead, they both have awe-inspiring expressions on their faces when they see the huge wall of clouds in front of them, indicating that they are about to enter Mirage Island territory.


	15. Chapter 15: Endless Clouds

Chapter 15: Endless Clouds

After the ship completely slows down to normal speed and enters the cloudy area of the ocean, Riolu thinks with an awe-inspiring expression on his face, 'This feeling… it's so comforting!'

Kirlio says as he looks around at his surroundings, "It looks like no matter where we go, we'll keep going through this fog. I guess the legends were true after all… Mirage Island is definitely a place that'll be difficult to find…"

Riolu thinks as he continues to venture blindly through the dense fog, 'No matter what happens, we'll make everything better. Arceus… I hope we'll find you soon.'

While everyone outside of the ship is looking around, Zorua is inside the cabin, his eyes widening with fear. Tears of sadness rolls down his cheeks as he thinks, 'Mienfoo… you're still alive… and in order to keep you alive, I need to kill… Riolu…'

Zorua closes his eyes and he thinks as he wipes his tears away with his front right leg, 'Lord Darkrai… if it means keeping Mienfoo alive and safe, I'll follow your order as your apprentice…'

After he finishes that thought, Darkrai's voice replies in his head, "Very good, Zorua… wait until you reach the mountain of Arceus and be sure to kill him."

Zorua nods his head and he replies in his head, 'I understand…'

After Zorua manages to calm himself down, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'I can't allow her to die… the only type of family I have left in this world.'

Zorua stays in the bed, sleeping in it until they reach Mirage Island.

While Riolu activates his Aura Eyes and follows the path he should take to Mirage Island, Darkrai is standing near the edge of his mountain on the Underworld Island, looking out at the ocean in the direction where Mirage Island is located.

He grins malevolently and he says with a confident expression on his face, "It's almost time!"

He looks behind him and sees Dark Riolu, Audino, Maractus, and Mienfoo standing there. Maractus and Audino are holding on to swords, while Mienfoo is still tied up with more cuts and bruises all over her body.

Dark Riolu grins with a confident expression on his face and he asks, "How much longer do you think it will be until they reach Mirage Island?"

Darkrai faces Dark Riolu and the others and he says, "Not too long. However, once they reach the mountain, I have a request for the three of you."

Dark Riolu asks with a curious expression on his face, "What would that be, my lord?"

Darkrai relies as his grin disappears behind his serious expression, "Once Zorua tells Riolu the truth, I want Audino and Maractus to get the first attack by stabbing Riolu in both shoulders, causing him to lose his ability to move his arms."

Audino and Maractus nod their heads in agreement and they both say in the demon language, "We'll do as you say, Lord Darkrai…"

After Audino and Maractus bow before Darkrai, Dark Riolu asks with a serious expression on his face, "So we'll be using the Hell Spirit Blade as a way to get to Mirage Island?"

Darkrai nods his head and he replies while turning his back on them, "Yes. Now get ready until the time comes for you four to go to Mirage Island."

Dark Riolu nods his head and he leads Audino and Maractus away from Darkrai, while he drags Mienfoo behind him.

After they both leave the island, Darkrai thinks as he continues staring out at the ocean, 'All of my plans are working so well… if it weren't for that time, none of this would have been able to work.'

Darkrai grins with a serious expression on his face and he continues, 'Riolu… if it weren't for you, none of this would have come together.'

Darkrai closes his eyes and he continues, 'Soon… very soon… I shall take down Arceus and turn this world into complete darkness.'

It has been an hour since Riolu entered the dense fog.

He continues to follow the trail with his Aura Eyes, deep in thought. 'What is this feeling? Why does it feel like I'm completely forgetting something important?'

Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he continues, 'Moreover… why does it feel like I've been here before? What is going on here?'

Kirlia looks up at Riolu with a concerned expression on her face and she asks, "Are you all right up there, Riolu?"

But Riolu doesn't answer and is just focused on his thoughts and the path he should take. 'Now that I think about it… I wonder if Zorua is all right. He's still in the cabin, right?'

Riolu looks down at both Kirlia and Kirlio and he asks, "Will it be okay if one of you could check in on Zorua? He's been in there for too long."

Kirlia nods her head and walks to the door as Kirlio uses his Recover on his right arm to close up his wound.

When she opened the door and peeked inside, she sees Zorua lying on the bed, sleeping on his stomach.

Kirlia leaves the room, closes the door behind her silently, and she replies to Riolu, "He's asleep right now."

Riolu looks down at Kirlia, nods his head and he replies, "Thank you, Kirlia."

When Riolu went back to focusing on his path, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'This feeling… why am I getting the feeling that coming here will answer all of my questions?'

Another hour passes by, but the same surroundings are still there. In every direction, there are endless cloud paths. As they venture deeper into the sea of clouds, the temperature begins to drop and it starts to snow lightly.

Kirlio thinks as he starts seeing his own breath in the cold air, 'I guess we're getting closer for it to get this cold.'

Kirlio walks to the side of the ship and looks down at the water. He thinks as he stares down, 'The water… it's not even frozen from this cold.'

Kirlio looks up and around at his surroundings, only seeing endless supplies of cloud and snow.

Kirlio looks straight ahead and he thinks as he closes his eyes and crosses his arms, trying to keep from getting cold, 'This is unbelievable… how much farther do we have to go until we reach Mirage Island?'

While Kirlio keeps his eyes closed, Kirlia thinks as she looks down and sees her own breath, 'I can't believe how cold it has already gotten… this is intense.'

When Kirlia looks up at Riolu, she has a look of concern on her face and she thinks, 'But Riolu… why are you feeling confused? Ever since we've entered this area, you're inner aura has changed slightly…'

Kirlia closes her eyes as she finishes her thoughts, 'What's going through your head right now, Riolu? I can only read your emotions… but not your thoughts.'

Riolu shivers slightly as he continues to think, 'How long is this supposed to take? Are we even getting any closer?'

After three more hours passes on, Kirlia and Kirlio went into the cabin and slept on the floor, while Riolu is still outside, still controlling the ship. Riolu is wearing a warm cloak over his body. Riolu looks around at his surroundings and only sees an endless ocean of clouds around him.

But the deeper he gets into it, the colder it gets and the thicker the snow gets.

Riolu thinks as he shuts his eyes with an exhausted expression on his face, 'My energy… I'm almost out of energy to keep the Aura Eyes going…'

After he opens his eyes, he remembers the bag of Oran Berries still on his back. After he reaches into the bag and grabs out an Oran Berry, he thinks as he takes a bite out of it, trying to retrieve some of his energy, 'I need to keep going… I can't stop until we at least reach the island…'

After he finishes the Oran Berry, he looks straight ahead and starts seeing a slight trace of white aura up ahead.

Riolu thinks as he grins with relief, 'We're almost there… just a little while longer…'

Another hour passes on. While Riolu continues to follow the path with his Aura Eyes, Zorua opens his eyes and looks around his surroundings.

He looks down and sees Kirlia and Kirlio sleeping on the floor.

Zorua looks down at them with a serious expression on his face and he thinks, 'I can't have these two interfering with my goal.'

Zorua's eyes glow red as he stares down at Kirlia and Kirlio, trapping them both in a long lasting sleep.

Zorua thinks as he looks away from Kirlia and Kirlio, 'Once I finish the job, these two will wake up from their sleep. Sorry… Kirlia and Kirlio. But there's no need for you two to get wrapped up in this situation.'

Zorua gets up out of bed and gets both Kirlia and Kirlio up onto the bed by transforming into Mienfoo.

After he gets them up onto the bed, he instantly transforms back to his normal form and he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'I guess I better go ahead and head out to the deck. I might as well say my final words to Riolu as a friend.'

He puts on a cloak and heads out to the deck.

After he closes the door silently behind him and gets out onto the deck, he looks up at Riolu and he asks, "Are you all right up there, Riolu?"

Riolu snaps out of his train of thought and looks down at Zorua with a grin on his face. "It's about time you got up, Zorua. How did that ride treat you at that speed?"

Zorua chuckles slightly and replies, "That was an incredibly fast ride! I'm surprised that Kirlia had that much power within her."

Riolu chuckles as well and he replies back, "I couldn't agree with you more! I was amazed indeed!"

After it got silent again, Zorua asks with a curious expression on his face, "By any chance, how far are we from Mirage Island?"

Riolu points straight ahead and he replies, "We're actually a few more hours away. But at least we're finally getting close."

Zorua grins as he replies, "Yeah, no kidding!"

Zorua thinks as he closes his eyes with the same grin on his face, 'I'm going to miss you when you're gone, Riolu...'

Another two hours passes by and the ship has finally reaches Mirage Island. The top of Mirage Island's mountain that lies on the middle of the island is as tall as the cloud dome.

Back in the Underworld Island, Darkrai has a serious expression on his face as he says while facing the direction where Mirage Island is located, "They have finally made it to Mirage Island!"

Darkrai looks back at Dark Riolu, Mienfoo, Maractus, and Audino and he says to them, "The time is almost here. Get ready to enter Mirage Island once Zorua reaches the midpoint of the mountain! That's when you strike and strike hard!"

The three Pokemon nod their heads, but Mienfoo looks down at the ground with a depressed expression on her face.

She thinks with tears of sadness rolling down her cheeks, 'Riolu… Zorua… I'm sorry…'

After Riolu parks the ship right next to an empty dock, he knocks on the door and tries to see if anyone is awake.

Zorua looks back at Riolu on the dock and he says, "Don't worry about them, Riolu. Let's just leave them there to get some sleep."

Riolu looks back at Zorua and replies, "All right, Zorua. I guess they've been through a lot already while I was in bed."

After Riolu gets off of the ship and both Riolu and Zorua start walking down the snow covered dock, Zorua thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Riolu… I'm sorry for what I'm about to do to you. But… I have my reasons and that's to protect Mienfoo.'

Riolu thinks after they get off of the dock and walk through the snow covered ground, 'I'm still having this powerful feeling that being here will answer all of my questions. I can't back away now, our only direction is to go to the top of the mountain and come face to face with Arceus.'

After thirty minutes of walking passes on, Riolu and Zorua have reaches the foot of the mountain.

Zorua has a serious expression on his face as he thinks after they start scaling the mountain up on the pathway, 'This is the place where you'll die, Riolu…'


	16. Chapter 16: Betrayal

Chapter 16: Betrayal…

As Riolu and Zorua scale up higher into the mountain, the snow gets thicker and the temperature gets colder.

Zorua thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Mienfoo… I'll be sure to protect you. I won't let you face any more pain. I'll be sure of it…'

Riolu thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'This feeling… the closer I get to the top of the mountain, the stronger it gets… but what am I forgetting?'

As he continues to walk, he hears the voice say in his head, "_Riolu… open your eyes! You're role as a Pokemon is…_"

But Riolu can't hear the voice finish its sentence and it disappears completely.

Zorua looks up at Riolu with a serious expression on his face and he thinks, 'We're almost there… the midpoint of the mountain…'

Zorua looks away from Riolu and closes his eyes and he thinks, 'I'm coming, Mienfoo. We'll be together again as a family.'

After he opens his eyes, he says, "Riolu… it seems we're getting close to the midpoint of the mountain. Do you want to rest there and fill up on the Oran Berries to refill our energy?"

Riolu looks directly at Zorua and nods his head. "That does sound like a good idea, Zorua. We'll take a short break once we reach that point and continue our way up."

Zorua nods his head and looks straight ahead away from Riolu. He thinks with a serious expression in his eyes, 'It's almost time…'

As Riolu and Zorua gets closer and closer to the midpoint, Darkrai looks back at Dark Riolu, Mienfoo, and the other two and he says to them, "They're almost at the midpoint! Now's the time to start heading over there!"

Dark Riolu nods his head with a serious expression on his face and he replies, "It's about time."

After all four Pokemon disappear into the shadows, Darkrai looks in the direction where Riolu and Zorua are located and he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Time is almost up for you, Riolu. But I do thank you… for showing me the way to Mirage Island before you die off.'

After Darkrai closes his eyes, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'They've reached the midpoint… now it'll only be a matter of time until Dark Riolu and the others reach them.'

Darkrai opens his eyes and he finishes by thinking, 'Arceus… as soon as I find you, I'm going to kill you, along with your Heaven world!'

Riolu and Zorua are both sitting down on the ground with a bag of berries and apples opened in the middle.

As they both take a bite out of their Oran Berries in silence, Zorua thinks with his eyes closed, 'So… Darkrai has sent them to come as well, huh? I guess he wants to be sure I finish it…'

Zorua opens his eyes and thinks as he stares at Riolu, who also has his eyes closed, 'Riolu… I guess this will be final chance to say good bye to you. So…'

Zorua changes his serious expression to a calm one and he asks Riolu with a curious expression on his face, "What are you thinking about, Riolu?"

Riolu opens his eyes and looks directly at Zorua. He grins slightly as he replies, "I'm just thinking of a lot of things right now."

But Riolu ends up hearing the voice say in his head, "_Riolu… did you honestly forget what your true role is already?_"

Riolu replies in his head after he closes his eyes, 'What do you mean? You've never told me my true role…'

While Riolu and the inner voice continue to talk back and forth, Zorua thinks as he closes his eyes, 'It seems…'

The inner voice tells Riolu as Zorua slowly stands back up, "_Riolu! You're still keeping your eyes closed to see the real truth! Don't you understand what I'm saying at all?_"

Riolu replies as he slowly opens his eyes, 'Are you trying to tell me that if I open my eyes, I'll see my main goal in front of me?'

The voice replies after he sees Zorua staring down at him with a serious expression on his face, "_That's right! Don't you remember? Zorua is the one you have to…!_"

Before the voice could finish its sentence, Zorua say to Riolu with a serious expression on his face, "I'm sorry, Riolu… but this is it."

Riolu stands back up slowly as he asks, "Wh-what do you mean by that?"

Before Riolu could look back to see what Zorua is looking at, two blades pierce right through both of his shoulders.

Riolu's eyes widen with shock as he sees his own blood falling into the snow, staining it red. His arms swing down, unable to make any movement at all.

The voice says in Riolu's head, "_You're main goal… was to kill Zorua…_"

Riolu looks directly into Zorua's eyes with a confused expression in his eyes and he asks, "Zorua… what's the meaning of this?"

Zorua replies as he charges up for a Night Slash in both arms, "I have no other choice, Riolu… they have Mienfoo alive. I can't allow her to die again…"

When Riolu looks back to see who stabbed him in the shoulders, his eyes widen with shock when he sees Audino and Maractus standing behind him with the swords in their hands.

When he looked further back, he sees Dark Riolu standing there with his scythe up against Mienfoo's neck.

Riolu thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'So… this is who you planned to use as bait…'

When Riolu looked back at Zorua, he sees Dark Riolu and Mienfoo instantly appear behind Zorua.

Dark Riolu says with a serious expression on his face, "Zorua… kill Riolu… or I'll kill Mienfoo!"

Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he says to Zorua, "Zorua… are you seriously going to go through with this? Do you really believe that Darkrai will keep Mienfoo pain free?"

Zorua has a serious expression on his face as he replies, "I'll be sure that Mienfoo no longer goes through any pain. In order for that to happen… you must disappear from this world."

Audino and Maractus pulls out their swords from Riolu's shoulders, which causes his to fall onto his knees in the blood soaked snow. His arms are just swinging along with any movement of his body, completely paralyzed.

After Audino and Maractus disappears from behind Riolu and reappears by Dark Riolu's side, pointing the tips of their blades at Mienfoo, Zorua tells Riolu with a tear rolling down his right cheek, "Riolu… thank you for everything that you have done for me before."

Riolu's eyes widen with fear as sees Zorua running straight towards him. Everything around them has turned into slow motion as Zorua jumps up in the air towards Riolu with both Night Slashes pointing straight at Riolu's chest.

Dark Riolu thinks with a serious grin on his face, 'So long… Riolu…'

Mienfoo has tears rolling down her face and she cries out, "Riolu, run for it!"

But it is too late for Riolu as Zorua stabs his Night Slash straight through Riolu's heart. Riolu's eyes widen with shock as he starts coughing up blood. His blood makes contact with Zorua's forehead and it starts dripping down his face slowly.

Riolu has a weak expression on his face as he tries to mutter, "Z-Zorua…"

Riolu looks right into Zorua's eyes weakly as Zorua pulls out his front legs from Riolu's chest, causing him to fall onto his stomach with his blood staining the snow as it pools out.

Zorua just stands there, staring down at Riolu with a look of seriousness on his face, but a guilty expression in his eyes. He mutters as he closes his eyes, "Farewell… Riolu…"

But once he turns his back on Riolu and starts walking away, Mienfoo cries out Riolu's name with tears of sadness rolling down her cheeks.

But Riolu just lies there with his eyes wide open, just staring out into space as he slowly drifts into death. Riolu thinks, 'Zorua… I tried to help you get away from the darkness… but now…' Riolu closes his eyes as he finishes, 'You're on your own from here, Zorua…'

After Mienfoo cries out Riolu's name again and Zorua reaches Dark Riolu, they all disappear into the shadows, leaving Riolu behind to die.

While Riolu just lies there in the snow, he thinks as he slowly opens his eyes and tears starts flowing down his cheeks from his eyes, 'Zorua… so you were the one I was supposed to kill? But… how can that be my main goal?'

As the pool of blood flows further down the snowy mountain road, Riolu continues as he slowly closes his eyes in the cold, 'How much have I forgotten in my past life…? I guess I'll never know the truth… as long as I lie here…'

After Riolu closes his eyes, he hears a voice call out, "Mitchell!"

Riolu slowly opens his eyes as he thinks, 'Wh-who's there… and how does it know my name?'

Riolu feels a Pokemon lands right next to his back and starts examining his body for any signs of life.

Riolu thinks as the mystery Pokemon tries to find any sources of life, 'This presence… why does it feel so familiar?'

Before Riolu could continue his thoughts, he hears the mystery Pokemon say in a female voice, "He's still alive… but not for long. I have to get him up to Lord Arceus before he dies!"

The mystery Pokemon picks up Riolu and starts scaling up the mountain at a high speed with Riolu in her arms. When Riolu's eyes meet the mystery Pokémon's face, he notices that she's a Snivy.

Riolu thinks as Snivy continues to climb up the mountain through the snow, 'This girl… why am I feeling as if I know her from somewhere? What is going on here?'

While Snivy hurries Riolu up to the top of the mountain, Zorua, Mienfoo, and the others arrive back to the Underworld Island. They are all standing before Darkrai, who is looking down at Zorua with a serious expression on his face.

Zorua says to Darkrai with a serious expression on his face, "I have done as you requested, Lord Darkrai. Will it be okay if you can release Mienfoo from the torture chamber?"

Darkrai nods his head and he replies, "Consider it done, Zorua."

Darkrai signals Audino and Maractus to untie Mienfoo, and they do it without question.

Zorua stares into Darkrai's eyes with a serious look in his and he asks, "What is it that you wish for me to do, Lord Darkrai?"

Darkrai replies with a malevolent grin on his face, "The only thing that you'll be doing is going through training. But for now, you'll be taking Mienfoo back to your home. Get some rest for now…"

Zorua nods his head and he starts walking towards Mienfoo. But Mienfoo just stares at Zorua with a look of disappointment in her eyes and starts following him down the mountain.

Dark Riolu asks after the two leave, "My lord, why do you wish to train Zorua? Isn't he already strong enough to fight against anything?"

Darkrai has a serious expression on his face as he replies, "No… for there is still one Pokemon who'll be in the way."

Dark Riolu asks with a curious expression on his face, "But who else could there be that's…!"

Before he could finish his question, his eyes widen with shock when he comes to the same conclusion. He asks with a serious expression on his face, "Do you wish for me to kill Mienfoo now?"

Darkrai shakes his head no and he replies, "That won't be necessary. Zorua did stabs Riolu through the heart, but who would have thought that she would be there to rescue him."

Dark Riolu's eyes widen with shock and he replies, "You don't mean that…!"

Darkrai nods his head as he replies, "That's right… Riolu's very first partner and friend in the Pokemon World, Snivy."

Dark Riolu asks with a look of concern on his face, "L-lord Darkrai… what should we do about this? If Riolu finds out the truth, then…!"

Darkrai closes his eyes as he replies with a serious expression on his face, "I already know that much… but with Riolu still living, we can at least have an interesting war with Heaven."

Dark Riolu asks with a serious expression on his face, "You already knew that Riolu Heaven Spirit Blade would keep him alive, did you?"

Darkrai gives Dark Riolu a serious grin on his face and he replies, "Suppose I did…"

Darkrai turns his back on Dark Riolu, looking out at the ocean where Mirage Island is located and he replies, "With Riolu still in the picture… their combat force will be the same as ours. A war between Heaven and Hell… shall soon come."


	17. Chapter 17: Reunion with the Light

Chapter 17: Reunion with the Light

Riolu is still drifting into an empty dark world in his unconscious state. He is floating in the darkness on his back and his arms and legs stretched out. His eyes are closed and the wounds in his shoulders and chest are still visible.

Riolu thinks as he continues floating through the darkness, 'Am… am I still alive? Or am I just on my way out to die?'

Through the thick darkness, he hears a faint cry in the darkness. As Riolu begins to slowly open his eyes, he thinks in a confused tone, 'Wh-who's there… what are you trying to say?'

As the cry slowly gets louder, the darkness slowly fades away. The voice cries out through the fading darkness, "Riolu! Don't die on me!"

Riolu thinks as the darkness slowly turns to light, 'Her voice… I know her! But from where, though?'

When the darkness finally disappears in Riolu opens his eyes slowly, he sees Snivy looking down at him with tears of sadness rolling down her cheeks and her cheeks blushing with sadness.

Riolu opens his eyes all the way and he says weakly, "Where am… I?"

Snivy looks down at Riolu's face with a surprised expression in her tear filled eyes when she sees Riolu talking. Snivy says with a relieved smile on her face, "Riolu… thank goodness you're alive!"

When Riolu slowly sits straight back up, he looks at both of his shoulders and notices that the wounds have fully healed. But when he looks down at his chest, he sees a blood soaked cloth over it.

Riolu says weakly with a look of disappointment on his face, "Zorua… tried to kill me…"

Snivy nods her head with a look of concern on her face and she replies, "I'm sorry… Mitchell… I tried to get down to you as soon as I could, but I was too late to save you…"

Riolu looks directly into Snivy's eyes and he asks with a curious expression on his face, "How is it that you know my real name, Snivy?"

Snivy replies with a confused expression on her face, "What do you mean by that? We've known each other ever since I found you lying unconscious in the Mirage Island forest..."

Before Snivy could go any further, a voice replies, "Forget it, Snivy… he doesn't have any memory of that time."

Riolu's eyes widen with shock and he thinks after hearing the voice, 'I-is that…?'

When Riolu looked where he heard the voice, he has a shocked expression on his face when he sees Arceus standing on top of a hill with many different colored crystals surrounding the sides and the back of him like an opened gate.

Arceus is looking down at Riolu with a serious expression on his face and he replies, "Welcome back, Riolu. Or… should I say, Mitchell?"

Riolu has a confused expression on his face as he asks in a frustrated tone, "What is going on here? How do you all know my name?"

Snivy looks up at Arceus and she asks with a look of concern on her face, "What is wrong with him? Why doesn't he remember any of us?"

Before Arceus could say a word, Riolu asks first, "Arceus… is it true that my mission was to kill Zorua, not bring the Hell Spirit Blade back to you?"

Snivy has a surprised expression on her face as she thinks while looking directly at Riolu, 'Did Riolu truly forget what his true objectives were before I got to him?'

Arceus replies while closing his eyes, "That's right… I guess your mission ended up in failure…"

Before Riolu could ask any other questions, his eyes widen with shock when he sees his white aura flowing out of his body. When Riolu looks up at Arceus, he sees his white aura flowing into Arceus's body.

After most of Riolu's white aura flowed into Arceus's body, Arceus starts saying with a serious expression on his face, "I see… so Darkrai has tampered with Riolu's memories."

Riolu looks up at Arceus with a shocked expression on his face and he asks, "What are you talking about? You're saying that Darkrai erased me memories?"

Arceus nods his head and he replies, "Yes… Darkrai has erased the memories you once had when you first got here. He erased the memories of Snivy and everyone else here on Mirage Island. He even… erased your memory of your true role as a Pokemon."

Snivy looks right at Riolu with a worried expression on her face and she mutters softly, "Riolu… what have you been through on that mission?"

Riolu asks in frustration, "But… how can that be? The only thing I remember was being chased down by the demons in the Underworld, and…!"

Before he could finish his sentence, his frustration instantly turns into confusion and he asks softly, "But… how did I end up in the Underworld in the first place?"

Riolu starts to shiver with confusion and frustration after he puts his hands over his face. As Riolu hides his face in his hands, crying in his hands, Snivy goes up to Riolu and sits down next to him, patting him on the back softly.

Snivy looks up at Arceus with a worried expression in her eyes and she asks, "Arceus… is there any way to revive Riolu's erased memories?"

Arceus nods his head and he replies, "Yes… it will take a little while, but I'll be sure to revive all of his forgotten memories in his white aura."

Snivy nods her head and she says to Arceus, "Thank you…"

After Riolu manages to calm down, he says softly, "Snivy… I'm sorry…"

Snivy looks down at Riolu's head with a comforting grin on her face and she replies, "There's nothing to worry about, Riolu. As soon as Arceus recovers your lost memories, you'll understand everything."

Riolu moves his hands away from his face, looks up at Arceus and he asks, "Arceus… will it be okay if you don't erase the memories I made before and after meeting Zorua for the first time?"

Arceus replies after nodding his head, "I'll be sure to keep those memories intact as well."

Riolu grins calmly at Arceus and he replies, "Thank you… Arceus…"

Riolu closes his eyes and drifts into sleep, breathing calmly on the ground.

After he falls asleep, Snivy stands back up on her feet, looks up at Arceus and asks with a serious expression on her face, "Arceus… if Zorua is Darkrai's apprentice, then you sent Riolu down too early…"

Arceus has a look of guilt on his face as he replies, "You're right… according to Riolu's white aura… Darkrai hasn't even picked his apprentice yet. It was only after Darkrai erased Riolu's memories that Darkrai selected his apprentice…"

Snivy looks down at Riolu with a worried expression on her face and she replies, "So it wasn't Riolu's fault that the mission ended up in failure…"

Arceus nods his head and he replies, "It wasn't his fault… it was my own fault, of course…"

Arceus closes his eyes and he says, "I'm halfway through the restoration… once the white aura is back in Riolu's body, he'll automatically regain his memory, followed by the power he lost along the way."

Snivy looks down at Riolu with a look of concern on her face as she asks, "Did Darkrai disable some of Riolu's power as well?"

Arceus nods his head and he replies after opening his eyes, "Yeah… he disabled Riolu's ability to use his Heaven Gloves. So his true power was cut in half dramatically after Darkrai did what he did…"

Snivy looks down at her hands, looking right at her Heaven Gloves with a serious expression on her face. She looks directly at Riolu and she thinks with a curious expression on her face, 'Riolu… what kinds of power will you end up with once you regain your Heaven Gloves?'

Before Snivy could continue on with her thoughts, Arceus tells her with a serious expression on his face, "By the way… the ship that Riolu and Zorua came in before… still has two Pokemon inside it. Will it be okay if you can pick those two up for me?"

Snivy nods her head and she replies, "I'll do whatever I can!"

After she leaves the area and starts sliding down the side of the mountain in her cloak, Arceus looks down at Riolu with a serious expression on his face and he says, "The memory restoration is complete… once I transplant your white aura back into your body, you'll be seeing all of your restored memories in your sleep. I hope you're ready for this…"

While white aura forms out of body and starts flowing into Riolu's chest, Riolu begins to see visions in his dream.

Riolu starts dreaming of the time that he and Snivy first met on Mirage Island, going to the time when Snivy introduces Riolu to Arceus, going to the time when Snivy and Riolu trains nonstop together, and finally going to the time when Arceus is giving Riolu his mission to the Underworld.

Once Riolu reaches this point in his memory, large amounts of the white aura bursts out of his body like wildfire, causing the bandage to fly off of his chest, revealing a missing wound in his chest.

Arceus has a serious expression on his face as he thinks, 'Riolu… you're power is going to be far stronger than it was before you went to the Underworld for the first time.'

Riolu's eyes open widely as the white aura starts flowing out his eyes like fire. But he is still asleep, dreaming of that certain time entering the Underworld from the dock of Mirage Island.


	18. Chapter 18: Forgottn Past

Chapter 18: The Forgotten Past…

Riolu and Snivy are both standing on the dock of Mirage Island, staring seriously at the portal that Arceus has opened up, leading into the Underworld.

Snivy looks right at Riolu with a serious expression on her face as she says to him, "Are you sure you want to do this alone?"

Riolu nods his head and he replies after looking back at Snivy with a serious expression on his face, "I'm sure of it… once I kill Darkrai's apprentice, I'll disappear from this world. But I don't want you to get involved with the aftermath in the Underworld, which is why I want to do this on my own, to keep you safe."

Snivy replies with a smile on her face, "Thanks for the concern, Riolu. But please be careful in there."

Riolu nods his head and he replies, "I'll be sure not to die before I kill Darkrai's apprentice." Before Riolu could look the other direction and head into the portal, Snivy runs up to him and hugs him.

She says after she closes her eyes and smiles, "I'm glad that I've got to meet you, Riolu."

Riolu hugs Snivy back and they both let go. Riolu faces the portal and jumps in it, disappearing like a ghost.

After he jumps into the portal, it disappears instantly, leaving Snivy alone on the dock.

Riolu is flying through a wormhole in the portal, flying towards a bright red light at the end of the tunnel. Riolu thinks as he continues to fly through the tunnel, 'Snivy… I was blessed to have met you and Arceus. But now, I have to do this on my own, for everyone's sake.'

After Riolu makes it through the other end of the portal, he lands on the ground on his feet in a dead forest area. Once the portal behind him vanishes, a mob of demons rushes through the trees straight towards Riolu with blood thirsty expressions on their faces.

Riolu has a confident grin on his face as he says, "You all want to play, huh? Well then…"

Riolu points both of his Heaven Glove filled knuckles at the mob of demons coming his way and he says while white aura bows take form from the gloves, "Let's see if you can lay a single scratch on me!"

The white aura bows start firing thousands of white aura arrows, piercing right through the hearts and foreheads of any demon that comes in his way. Riolu starts running as he continues to fire his aura arrows at the mob of demons ahead.

Blood covers the dead forest ground and trees as Riolu fires continuously at the oncoming mob.

After all of the demons in the mob are dead, Riolu deactivates his aura bows into the gloves and he thinks as he looks around at his surroundings, "Well now… where are you hiding your apprentice, Darkrai?"

When Riolu activated his Aura Eyes, he sees Darkrai's aura one hundred kilometers away from the forest. Riolu thinks with a serious grin on his face, 'I'm assuming your apprentice will be by your side!'

Riolu keeps his Aura Eyes activated as he runs straight towards the mountain where Darkrai's palace lies on top of, jumping from run rock to another over the lava. After he gets to the other side of the river of lava and enters a forest, another mob of demons runs straight towards him, mouths wide open and claws out.

But Riolu just activates his aura bows again from his gloves and open fires at the demons ahead of him, causing blood to spill all over the dead forest. Riolu thinks with a confident grin on his face, 'Even though I'll disappear after this, I might as well reduce Darkrai's army forces during the process!'

He continues to run through the forest, shooting at every demon he comes into contact with, slowly reducing the number of demons.

After he gets out of the forest and reaches the foot of the mountain, he thinks as he looks up at the palace with a serious expression in his eyes, 'This will be my final moment… once I step foot in that palace, my fate will be sealed. The only one I have to worry about if Darkrai's apprentice, not Darkrai, or the Hell Spirit Blade.'

Riolu takes a deep breath and starts running up the mountain road, shooting at all of the flying demons in the sky that try to attack him.

After Riolu reaches the top of the mountain, he stops running and his eyes widen with shock when he sees thousands of demons blocking all entrances leading into the palace.

All of the demons turned their attention to Riolu and they all let out murderous screeches and roars.

Riolu thinks with a serious grin on his face, 'Well now… I wasn't expecting to see this many demons guarding the palace.'

Riolu looks at his aura bows and he thinks, 'There's no question that these bows won't be enough for all of these guys… but they're my only weapons.'

Riolu looks back at all of the demons that start running straight towards him and he thinks, 'I guess I have no other choice but to use this move…'

Riolu aims both bows at the demons and he thinks as a large sphere of blue and white aura takes form in front of the two bows, 'This move… will finish them all off in one single blow…'

Riolu yells out at blue and white aura lightning bolts began to discharge out of the wrecking ball sized sphere, "Aura Blast!"

The sphere fires a massive beam of energy towards the demons in its path, still discharging sparks of aura bolts from the sphere. After the beam makes contact with the palace, along with all of the demons, the beam explodes, destroying parts of the palace.

Riolu has an exhausted expression on his face after the Aura Blast ends. His aura bows disappear as his arms fall to his sides.

Riolu thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'I need to reserve my energy for the battle with Darkrai's apprentice. I better get inside the palace before more of those bastards try to stop me…'

Riolu runs into the destroyed part of the palace, running down a number of long hallways, trying to find the staircase leading to the next floor. However, as he runs through the hallways, he hasn't run into anymore demons.

Riolu thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Something's not right… why aren't there any demons in these parts of the palace? Shouldn't this place be crowded with them?'

When he went up the final staircase and opened the door at the top of it, his eyes widen with shock when he sees Darkrai standing at the other side of the room, looking back at him from the fireplace.

Darkrai says with a serious expression on his face, "Welcome to my palace… what brings you down here?"

Riolu says with a serious expression on his face, "I came here for your apprentice."

Darkrai faces Riolu and he says in a serious tone, "You came here for my apprentice? I'm guessing that means you're the human from Mirage Island…"

Riolu thinks with a look of shock on his face, 'How the hell does he know that?'

Darkrai continues, "However… I don't even have an apprentice."

Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he asks, "I don't believe you… I know you have your apprentice hidden somewhere in your palace!"

Darkrai grins malevolently as he replies to Riolu, "You want proof?"

Darkrai holds up his hand, releasing large amounts of lack aura throughout the entire castle.

Darkrai says with a serious expression on his face, "I'll give you your proof!"

After Darkrai closes his hand, Riolu's eyes widen with shock when he notices that the whole palace is collapsing like a bomb went off on it.

After Riolu falls to the ground with rubble falling on top of him, Darkrai reappears from the shadows where he was standing before.

As Riolu tries to get out of the rubble, Darkrai says to him with a serious expression in his eyes, "Riolu… how was that for proof?"

After he gets out of the rubble and stands back up on his feet weakly, he thinks as blood trickles down Riolu's arms and face, 'Arceus… you sent me out at the wrong damn time!'

Before Riolu could make a move, Darkrai reappears right in front of Riolu and grabs him by the neck.

As he lifts him up into the air, making him gasp for breath, Darkrai says with a serious expression on his face, "You're coming with me, Riolu…"

Darkrai starts sinking into the shadows, bringing Riolu right along with him.

Riolu opens his eyes and finds himself in an underground dungeon. He tries to move his arms and legs, but they are shackled down onto a wooden table.

Riolu looks around at his surroundings weakly and sees Darkrai standing right next to him, staring down at Riolu with a serious expression on his face. "Riolu… you are a threat to my goals."

Darkrai places his right palm over Riolu's forehead as he continues, "However… you'll be helping me bringing my goals to reality. But in order for that to work…"

As black aura forms out of Darkrai's palm and into Riolu's head, Darkrai finishes by saying, "You must forget everything in your past life, your main goal… and your alliance with Arceus."

Riolu's eyes widen with shock as his pupils dilate from the presence of the black aura.

Darkrai says as Riolu begins to sweat and tries to fight the restraints, "Your past life doesn't matter. Your main goal is to take the Hell Spirit Blade away from the Underworld and place it in the living world. Also… once you complete that mission; your power will be gone, followed by the rest of your memories."

Riolu screams as he tries to fight the restraints, causing his wrists and ankles to bleed. But it is too late for Riolu to fight.

Darkrai sends his black aura back into his body and disappears completely, leaving the Hell Spirit Blade behind in his place.

After the shackles release Riolu, he falls onto the ground on his hands and knees, panting heavily as his pupils return to normal.

As he slowly gets back up onto his hands and knees, looking right at the Hell Spirit Blade, he thinks with a weak expression on his face, 'I have to get out of here with the Hell Spirit Blade before anyone else spots me.'

When he grabs a hold of the hilt of the Hell Spirit Blade, Riolu's eyes widen with shock when he finds himself out in a forest, full of snow and greenery peeking out.

He looks around with a confused expression on his face and he thinks, 'H-how did I end up out…?'

Before he could finish his thought, he hears Darkrai's voice say, "Now… stab the blade into the ground by a tree and get away from it. You're mission will be complete once you do that."

After Riolu did as Darkrai said and stabs the blade in the ground, he starts running away from the area, running as fast as he can through the snow covered forest.

As he runs, Darkrai thinks, 'This will do…'

After Darkrai snaps his fingers, Riolu's pupils dilate and he falls into the snow face down. As he lies there in the snow, the darkness fills the area around him, completely devouring him along with it.

Riolu awakens from his sleep, slowly sitting back up with the white aura still flowing out of his body in a calmer matter.

He looks down at his hands with a serious expression on his face as he sees the Heaven Gloves on his hands.

When Riolu looks up at Arceus, he says with a serious expression on his face, "Lord Arceus… thank you for giving me back my erased memories."

Arceus looks down at Riolu with a guilty expression on his face and he replies, "I'm sorry that you went through all of that for nothing, Riolu… it was my fault that you got in that mess."

But Riolu replies with a serious grin on his face, "Don't worry about it… at least now, I know my true purpose as a Pokemon."

After Riolu gets back up onto his feet, he looks in the direction where the Underworld Island is located and he says with a serious expression on his face, "Zorua… will be freed through death."

After the white aura forms back into Riolu's body, he thinks as he looks down at his palms, 'My strength… has gotten stronger since that day.'

Riolu looks back at Arceus with a curious expression on his face, "Now that I think about it… where'd Snivy run off to?"

Arceus replies, "I sent her down to your ship to bring your two other friends up here."

Riolu has a shocked expression on his face as he replies, "Wait, what?" Riolu faces the side of the mountain and starts running to it.

Arceus asks with a shocked expression on his face, "Am I missing something? What are you doing?"

Riolu looks back at Arceus and he replies while still running in place, "It's Kirlia! Let's just say that she can be a real handful!"

Arceus replies, "Well… you better get down there!"

Riolu replies as he jumps off of the mountain and starts sliding down the mountain, "No kidding!"

While he slides down the mountain, Arceus thinks while chuckling slightly, 'Well now… I guess I better get used to a lot of noise around here again.'

Riolu thinks with the same shocked expression on his face while sliding down the mountain, 'The facts that Kirlia and Kirlio have no clue of what just went on, Kirlia will probably attack Snivy. If not that, she'll annoy the living crap out of her like she did with Zorua! I better get to them before it's too late!'


	19. Chapter 19: Riolu vs Snivy the Race

Chapter 19: Riolu vs. Snivy- Race up the Mountain

Riolu is still sliding down the mountain as Snivy is on the deck of the ship, confronting Kirlia and Kirlio.

Kirlio is staying out of the way as both Kirlia and Snivy argue back and forth to each other.

Snivy says with a serious expression on her face, "I'm telling you the truth! We have Riolu up on the mountain with Arceus, and Arceus sent me down here to get you guys up there!"

But Kirlia just asks with a deriding grin on her face, "But what's the magic word?"

Snivy's face turns red with frustration and she replies back, "Fine… will you please follow me up the mountain to Arceus?"

But Kirlia replies with a serious expression on her face, "Not without either Riolu or Zorua by your side. We'll agree to come along with you if you have either one of those two with you."

Snivy sighs deeply as she thinks, 'This is starting to get bothersome…'

Snivy looks right at Kirlia with a serious expression on her face and she replies, "Riolu is resting right now… but what if I battle you as my proof of being Riolu's ally?"

Kirlia has an interested expression on her face as she replies, "Sounds like a good way to give me proof!"

Kirlia faces the dock as she says, "Well then… shall we get the battle started out there?"

Before Snivy could reply, Riolu yells out, "Kirlia! Kirlio! Snivy!"

All three Pokemon look out beyond the dock and see Riolu heading their way. Kirlia yells out in a sarcastic way, "Well speak of the devil! There you are!"

After Riolu stops running and starts walking down the wooden dock, Kirlio has a shocked expression in his eyes when he starts feeling Riolu's aura levels from the end of the thirty foot dock.

Kirlio asks with a serious expression on his face, "Could that really be Riolu?"

Kirlia looks back at Kirlio with a confused expression on her face and she asks, "What do you mean by that, Kirlio?"

Kirlio replies with a look of disbelief on his face, "I mean his energy levels has increased dramatically… it's even stronger than your psychic energy."

Kirlia has a shocked expression in her eyes when she looked back at Riolu and focused on his aura. 'Wh-what the hell is with all of that energy? What happened while we were knocked out?'

Snivy looks right at Riolu with a smile on her face and she says after he reaches the boat, "So Arceus finally revived your lost memories and power?"

Riolu nods his head and he replies, "Yeah. I finally understand everything now. I even got my Heaven Gloves back, too."

Kirlio looks down at Riolu's hands and notices the gloves. Snivy says with a happy expression on her face, "Well that's good! I'm glad you're finally back with us, Riolu!"

Kirlia has a confused expression on her face as she asks, "Okay… will someone tell me what the hell is going on?"

Kirlio asks with a serious expression on his face, "What happened to Zorua? Why isn't he around with you guys?"

Kirlia looks back at Kirlio and she replies, "He should be up with Arceus, getting the Hell Spirit Blade taken care of, right?"

When she looks back at Riolu, she has a look of concern on her face when she sees the downed expression on his face.

Kirlia asks in a serious tone, "What did that little bastard do?"

Riolu replies as he closes his eyes, "A group of Pokemon from the Underworld as his true friend captive and alive. They used her as bait to get Zorua back on their side. In order for his true friend to be kept alive, Zorua had to kill me… or at least try to kill me off."

Both Kirlia and Kirlio have a look of disbelief on their faces.

Kirlio replies with a serious expression now on his face, "That explains why I kept on feeling Zorua's dark energy in my body. He placed us in a sealed sleep…"

Kirlia replies with a look of concern on her face, "He wanted us to stay out of the way of his plan…"

Kirlia looks right at Riolu and she asks with a curious expression on her face, "But since you're still alive, doesn't that mean they'll kill this true friend of Zorua's?"

Riolu replies with a serious expression on his face, "To tell the truth… I don't really care anymore. Now that I know what my true role as a Pokemon is, I have to push any bonds I had with Zorua away."

Kirlio asks with a curious expression in his eyes, "You're role as a Pokemon? Does that mean you're not truly a Pokemon?"

Riolu nods his head and he replies, "That's right. I'm actually a human, and my role as a Pokemon is to kill Zorua, Darkrai's apprentice."

Kirlio closes his eyes as he replies, "I see…"

But Kirlia just grins with a serious expression on her face and she asks, "Would it be okay if I could tag along on your goal, Riolu?"

Snivy nods her head, but Riolu asks with a curious expression on his face, "You can… but why do you want to go through with killing Zorua?"

Kirlia replies, "Are you kidding me? He tried to kill one of my friends! So whoever tries to hurt or kill my friends can kiss my ass!"

Riolu chuckles slightly and he replies, "Well that sounds familiar."

Kirlio looks right at Riolu with a serious expression on his face and he says, "I want to join you guys as well. It's really unforgiveable what Zorua tried to do to you. I'll be with you until the end."

Riolu grins confidently at Kirlia and Kirlio and he replies, "Thank you, guys."

After Kirlia and Kirlio get their cloaks on, everyone starts heading back to the mountain.

But when they reach the foot of the mountain, Kirlia and Kirlio look up with a look of disbelief on their faces and they both ask at the same time, "Are we going to climb up?"

Snivy looks back at them and she asks, "You guys will be fine. Besides, the mountain climb is actually a part of the training that Riolu and I went through. It helps build leg strength and speed. Normally, we could climb straight up the mountain, but we'll take the long way up for you two."

When Kirlia and Kirlio looked at the starting point of the mountain road, both of their eyes widen with shock when they see how fast Riolu and Snivy are climbing up. Kirlia and Kirlio both say at the same time, "You've got to be kidding me!"

They both start to run up the mountain roadway, trying to catch up to Riolu and Snivy, who have already reached up the quarter mark of the mountain.

Both Riolu and Snivy run with grins on their serious expression faces as they race each other up the mountain.

Snivy looks right at Riolu with a happy expression in her eyes and she asks, "Reminds you of back then, huh?"

Riolu looks right at Snivy and he replies with a happy expression in his eyes, "It certainly does!"

Snivy asks Riolu with a curious expression on her face, "By any chance, is there anyway where we can have a practice battle? I want to see how much stronger you've become since that day."

Riolu nods his head and he replies, "Sounds like fun. I'm curious to see how much stronger you've become, too."

Before they could continue with their conversation, they hear Kirlia yell out, "Slow down!"

When they stopped running and looked down the mountain, they see Kirlia and Kirlio standing at the quarter mark, panting heavily.

Riolu and Snivy have already reached the midpoint section of the mountain without even noticing it.

Riolu looks right at Snivy and he says, "Why don't we carry Kirlia and Kirlio up the mountain? They'll keep slowing us down if they keep going like this."

Snivy nods her head and she says, "That'll be fine, but why don't we make this a race to the top of the mountain? You can have Kirlio on your back and I can have Kirlia on mine."

Riolu nods his head with a confident grin on his face and he replies, "Sounds good, but I'll be winning!"

Snivy says with a confident grin on her face as they both sliding down the icy mountain side down to quarter mark, "Oh no you don't!"

After they both land on the road in the quarter point, they both offer Kirlia and Kirlio to ride on their backs the rest of the way up.

After Kirlia gets on Snivy's back and Kirlio on Riolu's like a piggyback ride, both Riolu and Snivy start running at full speed, racing each other to the top.

Both Kirlia and Kirlio have shocked expressions on their faces as they notice what kinds of speed Riolu and Snivy have in store.

Riolu is up front, with Snivy slightly behind.

Kirlio thinks with a look of shock in his eyes, 'How can this possibly be Riolu? He has far more energy and power than he did before!'

Snivy has a serious grin on her face as she thinks, 'Impressive… you've gotten way faster! However…'

Snivy starts picking up her pace, slowly catching up to Riolu again.

She thinks with a confident expression on her face, 'Even though you've been gone, I'm way different than before!'

Kirlia thinks with a look of shock in her eyes, 'What is with these two? Where is all of this energy coming from?'

Once she gets right next to Riolu, he looks right at her with a surprised expression on his face and he thinks, 'Not bad! It looks like you've been training more while I was gone.'

Riolu looks straight ahead and he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'We're already at the three quarter mark of the mountain. I better pick up my speed before the race ends!'

Riolu looks up at Kirlio and he says, "You better hold on tight, Kirlio! I'm going all out!"

Kirlio looks down at Riolu with a shocked expression on his face and he asks, "Wait, what?"

Riolu picks up his speed as white aura forms out of his body like a flying fireball.

As Riolu starts leaving Snivy behind, she thinks with a serious expression on her face, 'Two can play at that game!'

As she starts picking up her speed, Kirlia's eyes widen with shock as she holds on tight to Snivy from the gravitational forces pushing against her.

Snivy slowly catches up to Riolu, officially side by side with Riolu.

Riolu looks right at Snivy with an impressed expression on his face and he thinks, 'Interesting… I'm going as fast as I can possibly go, but she's still…!'

Before he could finish his thought, Snivy starts falling behind. Riolu looks back and notices the exhausted expression on Snivy's face.

When Riolu looks straight ahead, he sees the finishing point of the mountain. He quickly slows down, transferring his white aura back into his body.

Once he reaches normal speed, he makes it through, followed by the exhausted Snivy.

After Snivy makes it to the top of the mountain and Kirlia gets off, Snivy falls on to her stomach, panting heavily from the race.

Kirlio is standing right next to Riolu with his shocked expression still stuck on his face as Riolu asks Snivy while offering his hand to help her up, "Are you all right, Snivy?"

After Snivy catches her breath, she looks up at Riolu with a smile on her face and she replies, "It's been quite a while since we've done anything like that..."

Riolu smiles back with an impressed expression on his face and he replies, "I couldn't agree more. I was impressed to see how fast you could go when I went all out."

Snivy giggles and she replies with an embarrassed look on her face, "Yeah… but that didn't quite last long, though."

Riolu closes his eyes and he replies with the same smile on his face, "You'll get the hang of it soon."

After Snivy grabs a hold of Riolu's hand and he helps her up, they both look directly at Kirlia and Kirlio, who are still shocked from the experience that they just went through.

Riolu rubs the back of his head and he replies after chuckling, "Are you two all right? I hope we didn't push it too much for you."

Kirlia replies with a calmer expression on her face, "It's fine… let's just say you two took me by surprise."

Kirlio asks as his face morphs into a calmer expression, "Riolu… do you think you have enough power already to fight against Zorua?"

Riolu shakes his head and he replies, "No… I still have a little ways to go before that time comes. Besides…"

Riolu looks up at Arceus, who is looking down at him, and he continues, "I can't just be satisfied with the power I have now. I need to become stronger before I can return to the Underworld."

Arceus replies after Kirlia, Kirlio, and Snivy look up at him, "Good choice, Riolu. It's true that you have a lot of power now, but there are still those out there that are either stronger or equal to your strength in the Underworld."

Riolu nods his head with a serious expression on his face and he says, "The stronger I get, the stronger my dark clone becomes. There's also Darkrai to keep an eye out for, too."

Arceus nods his head and he replies, "That's right… but your main obstacle is Darkrai. Your dark clone will only obtain half the power you've regained."

Riolu replies with a serious expression in his eyes, "Yeah…"

He looks back in the direction where the Underworld Island is located and he continues, "I'll be sure to not get caught by Darkrai like I did the last time."

Riolu looks back at Snivy, and he says, "We'll have our training battle tomorrow. Does that sound good?"

Snivy nods her head and she replies, "Yeah, that'll be fine."

Riolu and Snivy lets go of each other's hands and lie back down on the ground on their back, while Kirlia and Kirlio goes up to Arceus and starts asking him questions about what they've just missed out on.

While Riolu and Snivy are both sleeping next to each other on the ground, still wearing their cloaks, Zorua and Darkrai are both out in the forest of Underworld Island.

Zorua has large amounts of black aura flowing out of his body, but he is still maintaining his original form.

Darkrai is standing on the other side, looking at Zorua with a serious expression on his face. Darkrai yells out, "Zorua, lose yourself to the power of the Hell Spirit Blade! Allow its power to flow through your veins!"

Zorua yells back to Darkrai with a frustrated expression on his face, "I'm trying to, damn it!"

Darkrai yells back at he flies straight towards Zorua at a blinding speed, attempting to grab a hold of his neck, "You're not trying hard enough!"

Before Darkrai has the chance to grab a hold of Zorua's neck, the power of the black aura explodes out of Zorua's body fiercely as he roars loudly like a demon; the shockwaves of the intense power physically pushes Darkrai back away from Zorua, sending him flying straight towards a tree with the top of his head facing the trunk.

After Darkrai recovers his fall in midair by doing a backflip in midair, he looks directly at Zorua, who is glowing bright black from within the intense black aura.

Darkrai's eyes widen with shock as he feels another shockwave from the black aura push him back after Zorua roars like a demon again.

After Darkrai slams against the tree trunk on his back, causing the tree to fall over onto its side on the ground, he looks right at Zorua with a serious expression on his face as he sees his form slowly beginning to change.

As Zorua begins to stand on his back two legs and the hair on the top of his head grows longer, Zorua lets out another murderous roar as the black aura's size and power grows larger like a giant wildfire gone ablaze.

The black aura reaches the sky as Zorua's arms and legs grow longer with claws taking form out of his hands and feet.

After Zorua stops glowing black, Darkrai's eyes widen with shock when he notices that Zorua has evolved into Zoroark.

Darkrai thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Interesting… I wasn't expecting for him to evolve so soon…'

Zoroark lets out another murderous howl with his face facing the sky, as the black aura surrounding him body starts shrinking down to his size.

After the black aura calms and is just radiating out of his body like steam, he looks directly at Darkrai with a serious expression on his face and he asks in a dark tone, "Was that good enough for you, Lord Darkrai?"

Darkrai just stares into Zoroark's eyes with a serious expression in his, trying to read his energy levels.

Darkrai ends up grinning malevolently as he replies, "Splendid… you're resolve to kill your enemies has increased. But we won't stop here…"

Darkrai points the palm of his right hand at Zoroark and he yells out with a murderous expression on his face, "Fight me, Zoroark! Show me what kind of power you've got!"

Zoroark keeps his calm expression on his face as he runs straight towards Darkrai with both Night Slashes taking form over his arms, using the black aura from the Hell Spirit Blade to attack.

Zoroark thinks as he runs straight towards Darkrai, who also is using Night Slash from both arms, 'This power… I will only use it to take down my enemies!'

After Zoroark and Darkrai exchange blows, Zoroark continues with a serious expression on his face, 'I will use this power to keep Mienfoo safe!'

After Zoroark pushes Darkrai back with a great amount of force that sends him crashing into upcoming trees that sends them all timbering down to the ground, he thinks with his eyes closed, "I will use this strength…"

After Darkrai reappears behind Zoroark and tries to attack him from behind, Zoroark continues as he opens his eyes and instantly blocks Darkrai's attack with his Night Slashes, '…to finish what I've started.'

Darkrai has a serious grin on his face as he says to Zoroark, "Come on now! Let's keep this up until one of us falls!"

Zoroark remains silent with a serious expression on his face and he pushes Darkrai back again with great amounts of force behind his push.

As Darkrai starts crashing into the trees again and sends them timbering down to the ground, Zoroark thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Riolu… the next time we meet… I'll be able to finish what I've started.'

Zoroark roars loudly as he runs straight towards where Darkrai was sent flying, continuing his fight with Darkrai.


	20. Chapter 20: Training Battle

Chapter 20: Riolu vs. Snivy- Training Battle

It is six O'clock in the morning as Snivy starts opening her eyes from her sleep, looking at an empty spot where Riolu was sleeping before.

When she gets back up onto her feet and looks towards the location where the mountain road is located, she sees Riolu looking out at the ocean from behind.

Riolu thinks with a serious expression in his eyes as he crosses his arms, 'This is not good… Zorua's power… his aura… it's completely different now. He's no longer the same Zorua that tried to kill me before. His aura has already become darker…'

While Riolu continues to look out at the ocean, Arceus is looking in the same direction as well, saying with a serious expression on his face, "It seems as though Zorua has already evolved… into a Zoroark."

Riolu looks back at Arceus with a serious expression on his face and he replies, "Is that so?"

Snivy says as she gets up and walks towards Riolu, "It seems Zoroark and Darkrai are having a serious battle with each other. Perhaps Darkrai has already figured out you're still alive and is training Zoroark to become stronger."

Riolu looks directly at Snivy with a serious expression on his face and he replies, "They've been at it all night. Darkrai knows my main target is Zoroark, and he wants to be sure he doesn't lose him in battle…"

Riolu looks up at Arceus with a serious expression on his face and he asks, "Do you also notice something different about Zoroark's aura?"

Arceus nods his head and he replies, "His aura is far darker and stronger than it was before. He's allowing the Hell Spirit Blade's aura to take control of his soul…"

Riolu faces Snivy, activates his double white aura bows from his gloves, and he continues, "I can't just stand around and let Zoroark be possessed by the Hell Spirit Blade! I need to become stronger, no matter what it takes!"

Snivy grins with a serious expression in her eyes and she replies to Riolu, "Alright! Let's become stronger together!"

Riolu looks up at Arceus with a serious expression on his face and he says, "Will it be okay if you could help train Kirlia and Kirlio while Snivy and I have our practice battle?"

Arceus nods his head and he replies, "I'll be sure to do that, Riolu. You two get started with your training."

Both Riolu and Snivy nods their heads at Arceus, run to the edge of the summit, and they start sliding down the mountain, heading towards the ground.

As they slide down the mountain, Arceus thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'It's won't be long now until the time comes. Darkrai… so you're wanting to start another war with me, huh? I won't be holding back this time, Darkrai. We shall soon see who will survive this war!'

After thirty minutes passes by, Riolu and Snivy enters the Mirage Island forest. The treetops and the ground are still covered by snow and the snow continues to fall from the clouds above.

After they reach the center of the entire forest, Riolu's eyes widen with shock when he realizes where he is. This is the exact area where Snivy first found him.

Riolu's shocked expression turns into a serious one as he deactivates his white aura bows. He faces Snivy and he says with a serious expression, "Snivy… we have to give it our all! This training won't be like the previous ones we had before. We need to go all out."

Snivy nods her head and she replies with a serious expression on her face, "I understand, Riolu…"

While Snivy heads to the opposite side of the forest from Riolu, he thinks as he closes his eyes, 'I can feel it… it's not just Zoroark who has been taken over by the darkness… Mienfoo…'

While he keeps his eyes closed, he starts picturing the time he had with Audino, Maractus, Mienfoo, and Zorua.

After he opens his eyes, he thinks as he crosses his arms in an X-formation, 'The fact that Audino and Maractus are being controlled by the darkness, it should also mean that Mienfoo will be subjected to the dark aura, especially when being so close to Zoroark.'

After he activates his Aura Blades, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Zoroark… I will bring you back to your senses… but once I do, neither of us will be alive!'

After Snivy gets to her side of the forest, she yells out to Riolu with a confident grin on her face, "Let's get started!"

Riolu nods his head and he runs straight towards Snivy after getting his arms out of the X-formation.

Snivy has a serious expression on her eyes as she thinks, 'So you want me to go all out, huh? I'll show you how much strength I can dish out!'

After Riolu gets right in front of Snivy and swings his right arm down towards her, Snivy quickly jumps back and fires hundreds of Bullet Seeds from her mouth, aiming for his face.

After Riolu covers his face with both Aura Blades, Snivy grins confidently and disappears into thin air. After she reappears right behind Riolu from thin air, she thinks as she prepares to launch her Vine Whip, 'There…'

But when Snivy launches her Vine Whip and tangles Riolu around his waist and lands on the ground on her feet, Riolu looks back with a confident grin on his face and he says, "Big mistake, Snivy."

Snivy's eyes widen with surprise when she looks back and sees the real Riolu standing behind her.

When she looked back at the Riolu she caught, she has a shocked expression on her face when she realizes that the Riolu she has, has turned into white aura.

After the white aura forms back into Riolu's body, he says with an impressed expression on his face, "I'll give you credit, Snivy. You've caught me by surprise with that type of speed."

Riolu deactivates his Aura Blades as he continues, "However, how good are you at," He finishes after he activates one aura bow from his right hand, "dodging my aura arrows?"

Snivy thinks as she quickly runs away from Riolu, jumping up into the snow filled treetops, jumping from one branch to another, "He wasn't kidding when he said to go all out…"

When Snivy looked back, her eyes widen with shock when she realizes that Riolu now has two aura bows in each hand.

As Snivy increases her jumping speed, Riolu increases his speed, firing his arrows towards and around Snivy. Riolu dodges falling tree branches and snow as he continues firing and running towards Snivy, who is still jumping from one branch to another five trees ahead of Riolu.

Snivy looks back at Riolu with a serious expression on her face and she thinks, 'With all of those arrows flying around me, I can't possibly…!'

She has a surprised expression on her face when she thinks, 'Wait a minute! There is one way to get out of Riolu's attack!'

After Snivy jumps down from the treetops and lands on the ground, she runs into the dense forest area, where each arrow Riolu fires ends up hitting a tree trunk and disappears into thin air.

Riolu thinks after he stops firing his arrows and deactivates his two aura bows, 'Not a bad strategy, Snivy. But how do you plan to counterattack?'

When Riolu activated his Aura Eyes and looked around at his surroundings on the ground level, he has a serious expression in his eyes when he realizes that Snivy is nowhere to be seen. 'What the devil? Where did she…!'

Before he could finish his thought, he hears Snivy yell out, "Here I come!"

When he looked straight up, his eyes widen with shock when he sees five Snivy coming her way, all of them are in the staggered formation with one close to the ground and the other closer to the sky.

Riolu thinks as he charges up for two Aura Blades, 'She knows Double Team now? It seems like she has went through more training than I originally thought.'

After the first Snivy lands on the ground behind him, he looks back and notices that the one behind him is just a clone. After he elbows the clone behind him, it disappears into thin air.

After the second and third Snivy landed by Riolu's sides, he tries to swing both of his Aura Blades at the clones, until the fourth Snivy appears from behind and holds his arms down with Vine Whip.

While the other two clones on his sides used their Vine Whip and tied Riolu down, the fifth and real Snivy lands right in front of him and she says with a confident grin on her face, "How was that?"

Riolu replies after he closes his eyes and grins, "To tell the truth… not bad at all."

Riolu opens his eyes and he continues, "You've picked a good strategy to use with your Double Team clones. I'm actually surprised that you've managed to catch me off guard again."

Riolu closes his eyes and he says with a smile on his face, "However… even though you've caught your foe, don't get to cocky and let your guard down."

Before Snivy could even realize it, a Riolu appeared right behind her from out of thin air, crossing his arms with a serious grin on his face.

When Snivy looked back, her eyes widen with shock when she sees Riolu standing there.

When she looks back at the Riolu she caught, he says with a serious grin on his face too, "You should already know that I'm the real deal. But the one behind you, can you guess who they are?"

When Snivy looked back again, her eyes widen with shock when she sees three more Riolu appear from out of thin air.

She looks back at the real Riolu and her eyes widen with surprise when she realizes that the real Riolu manages to break free and starts swinging all of the clones around like helicopter propellers.

While the real Riolu smacks all of the Snivy clones against upcoming trees, Snivy looks back at the Riolu clones with a serious expression in her eyes and she thinks, 'I'm not going to lose this fight!'

As one of the Riolu clones tries to grab a hold of her, she jumps back away from the clones with her back still facing the real Riolu.

After she lands on the snow, she thinks as the leaf on the tip of her tail glows green and the edges get sharper, 'I'm not completely hopeless yet!'

As she jumps straight towards the Riolu clones with her Leaf Blade ready to go, Riolu stops spinning like a top after the tree Snivy clones disappear into thin air.

Riolu thinks as he tries to regain his balance from the dizziness, 'Oh damn… I'm too dizzy to move…'

After Snivy slashes all of the Riolu clones with one side slash of her Leaf Blade and lands back on the ground on her feet, she looks back at the dizzy Riolu and she thinks with a serious expression on her face, 'This is my chance!'

After she faces Riolu and runs straight towards him while deactivating her Leaf Blade, Riolu thinks with a troubled expression on his face, 'Crap… I'm still not over the dizziness yet…'

After Snivy gets ten feet in front of Riolu, she thinks as she jumps straight at him through the air, 'This is my only chance while his guard his down!'

After Riolu regains his balance and recovers from his dizziness, his eyes widen with shock when he sees Snivy jumping straight at him.

Snivy tackles into Riolu and causes him to fall flat on his back in the snow with Snivy right on top of him.

Snivy looks down at Riolu's face with a smile on her face and she asks, "How was that for taking advantage of one's weak point?"

Riolu was about to answer, until he sees something up in the sky.

His eyes widen with shock when he sees Dark Riolu falling from the sky, with his three blades scythe in hand, aiming for Riolu's neck.

While Dark Riolu is still in midair, Riolu quickly gets his arms around Snivy and starts rolling over in the snow, managing to get them far enough from Dark Riolu's assault.

Dark Riolu's scythe stabs into the ground, with Dark Riolu's right hand still on the hilt while getting back up onto his feet.

After Riolu and Snivy stop rolling in the snow, Snivy looks down at Riolu with a look of concern on her face and she asks, "A-are you all right, Riolu?"

Riolu replies as he lets go of Snivy, "Yeah… I'm fine."

After Snivy gets off of Riolu, Dark Riolu says with a serious grin on his face as Riolu slowly gets back up onto his feet, "So we meet again… Riolu."

Riolu looks right at Dark Riolu with a serious expression on his face and he replies while activating both white aura bows from his gloves, "What the hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be back with Darkrai and Zoroark?"

Dark Riolu has an impressed expression in his eyes as he thinks, "So you have noticed, huh?"

Dark Riolu shakes his head as he continues, "Actually, I came here on my own free will. I came here…"

Dark Riolu pulls his scythe out of the ground as he continues, "To get rid of the threat to Lord Darkrai's goals!"

Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he tells Snivy, "Snivy, I need you to get out of here now and tell Lord Arceus what is happening. I'll keep Dark Riolu from going after you."

Snivy nods her head and starts making a run for it towards the mountain. Dark Riolu yells after throwing his scythe straight towards Snivy, "Oh no you don't!"

But Riolu jumps in front of the running Snivy and blocks the scythe with his Aura Blades.

Riolu has an angry expression in his eyes as he says to Dark Riolu, "I will not allow you to harm Snivy!"

After Riolu fires the scythe back, he yells out with a serious expression on his face, "I won't let you take her like you've done with my previous friends!"

After Dark Riolu grabs a hold of the hilt of his scythe, Riolu runs straight towards Dark Riolu with both Aura Blades still activated, slowly turning into white aura.


	21. Chapter 21: Secret Weapon God's Arrow

**Riolu: **I know its been a little while since a new chapter has come up and we apologize...  
**Snivy: **You see... it usually takes a while to come up with good ideas for a chapter. Oh course it didn't take long for Zorua to betray Riolu and become a Zoroark, but the fun and surprises of this story will soon come once again.  
**Riolu: **We hope you still like this story. Also, there are still more questions still left unanswered to look forward to.  
**Dark Riolu: **In other words, after you read a new chapter of this story, please leave a review and tell us what you think of the chapter you have just read.  
**Riolu: **Well now... shall we get back to our fight?  
**Dark Riolu: **We shall... but be warned, you will meet your death!

Chapter 21: Legendary Weapon… God's Arrow

Dark Riolu says with a serious expression on his face as Riolu runs straight towards him, "No matter what you plan to do… you'll still die in the end!"

Riolu jabs his two Aura Blades close to Dark Riolu's heart, but he blocks Riolu's Aura Blades with is scythe.

Dark Riolu sends Riolu flying back through the air, causing him to crash into a tree and sending it timbering to the ground.

After Riolu gets back up onto his feet from the sitting position, he thinks as he glares right at Dark Riolu, 'I won't allow him to take anyone else away from me!'

As Dark Riolu jumps straight towards Riolu with a malevolent grin on his face, Riolu jumps quickly to the side, managing to avoid Dark Riolu's scythe.

After he lands back on his feet and faces Dark Riolu's back, he runs straight towards him once more, attempting to run his Aura Blades through Dark Riolu's back.

But he quickly faces Riolu, grabs a hold of his neck by the neck, and lifts him up into the air. Riolu eyes are cringed tightly as he is lifted into the air, his Aura Blades slowly deactivating.

Dark Riolu looks right at Riolu's face with a malevolent expression on his face and he says, "You know… I should just finish you off right here and now… but that'll be too quick for my tastes…"

Dark Riolu tosses Riolu into the air with a great amount of force, causing him to reach the clouds before he starts falling again.

Dark Riolu readies his scythe and jumps into the air straight towards Riolu, attempting to grab a hold of him by the neck once again.

Riolu thinks as he falls towards the treetops, 'My training battle with Snivy… really took a lot out of me…'

After Riolu opens his eyes, his eyes widen with shock when he sees Dark Riolu appearing right in front of him like a ghost. Dark Riolu grabs Riolu by the neck once again, and ends up tossing him straight down into the treetops.

After he smacks right into the ground through the treetops, making a crater in the ground, his eyes widen with shock as blood comes flying out of his mouth from the impact.

As Riolu tries to get himself back up onto his feet, Dark Riolu instantly appears right in front of Riolu and grabs him by the neck once more with his left hand.

While Dark Riolu lifts Riolu up off of the ground, Riolu thinks with his eyes tightly shut, gasping for air, 'Damn it… Dark Riolu has managed to become stronger after I regained my strength.'

Dark Riolu grins malevolently as he says while keeping a hold of Riolu in midair by the neck, "You're pathetically weak, Riolu. You don't stand a chance against Zoroark if you're getting beaten this easily."

Dark Riolu yells out with a serious expression on his face, "I was expecting more out of you!"

Dark Riolu tosses Riolu back up into the air once more, making him go as high as the clouds again. While Dark Riolu jumps up into the air, Riolu thinks with his eyes still closed, 'He's right… I still have a long way to go…'

After Riolu opens his eyes, he looks down at Dark Riolu with a serious expression on his face and he thinks, 'I can't allow him to kill me like this!'

As Riolu aims both of his palms at Dark Riolu, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'If you think I'm weak now… feast your eyes on this attack!'

Dark Riolu's eyes widen with shock as he sees white aura exploding out of Riolu's body like wild fire as a blue and white sphere takes form in front of his palms.

Dark Riolu thinks with a serious expression in his eyes, 'What the hell is that? It's too powerful to be an Aura Sphere…'

Dark Riolu continues as the sphere begins to grow with sparks of blue and white aura flying out of the sphere, 'Whatever it is… I have to reach him before it's too late!'

While Riolu continues to charge up for his attack, Snivy is jumping off of the top of the mountain with great amounts of force, flying straight towards Riolu.

She thinks as she slowly gets closer to Riolu, 'Riolu… what the hell are you thinking? Why are you going to use that move now?'

Riolu yells out after the sphere reaches its maximum size and power, "Aura Blast!"

Dark Riolu's eyes widen with shock as he sees the sphere fire a gigantic beam of destructive aura straight towards him.

Dark Riolu thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Damn it… there's no way in hell I can dodge that attack!'

Dark Riolu intercepts with the beam and is sent flying straight down towards the ground with the beam's path.

But while Dark Riolu flies down with the beam, he thinks with a serious expression in his eyes, 'What the hell… something's different with Riolu's power! Why is Riolu's power growing stronger?'

Riolu thinks as he continues firing the Aura Blast from his palms, 'What's this sensation I'm feeling? It feels as if my power is returning to its full potential!'

As the white aura surrounding Riolu grows stronger and larger, the Aura Blast grows larger and stronger as well.

Snivy thinks as she sees the Aura Blast growing, 'So it worked after all! Lord Arceus, you saved us both the trouble of dealing with this bastard with our energies at low level. Now we can give him all we've got!'

Dark Riolu looks down at the ground and he yells out with a look of shock on his face, "Oh hell!"

Dark Riolu makes contact with the ground on his back with the beam, getting caught up in the large explosion produced from the Aura Blast.

The explosion of the blast wipes out most of the trees surrounding it in a one hundred thousand foot radius.

After Riolu stops firing the Aura Blast and the explosion clear away, Riolu lands back on the ground on his feet, looking directly at Dark Riolu with a serious expression on his face, who is lying on the ground still alive.

Dark Riolu has lost his left arm and most of the skin on the left side of his body. Dark Riolu's left stump starts to bleed fiercely, the blood slowly pooling on the charred ground.

Riolu says with a serious expression on his face, "So you survived from that attack, huh? That's quite a surprise…"

Dark Riolu looks directly at Riolu with a serious grin on his face and he says, "Of course I'm alive, Riolu…"

As Dark Riolu slowly gets back up onto his feet, he continues, "I'll admit that your power has increased during your attack, but thanks to that power boost of yours, my power has increased as well, giving me the ability to survive your so called Aura Blast."

After Dark Riolu stands up straight, he continues as he begins to glow bright black, "In fact, you should be able to do this now at your current level!"

Riolu's eyes widen with shock as he sees Dark Riolu's left arm instantly regenerate. But that's not the only problem, for Dark Riolu's form slowly begins to change.

Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he thinks, 'Impossible… how the hell is Dark Riolu able to…?'

Before he could finish his thought, large amounts of black aura explodes out of Dark Riolu's body as he says while his voice slowly gets deeper, "What's the matter, Riolu? Are you beginning to see what you're capable of doing?"

After Dark Riolu grows taller and his spikes grow larger on his chest and hands, he continues as his body and face begins to change, "Now, Riolu… I shall give you my full potential!"

After the black aura clears away and Dark Riolu stops glowing black, Riolu's eyes widen with shock when he realizes that Dark Riolu has evolved into Dark Lucario.

Dark Lucario grins malevolently and he continues as two black angle wings grow out of his back, "Now… you're life ends here, Riolu!"

Before Riolu could even notice it, Dark Riolu instantly appears right in front of Riolu and grabs him by the neck with his left hand.

Riolu's eyes widen with shock as Dark Lucario flaps his large wings and sends them both flying straight into the air.

Riolu thinks as he gasps for air and they reach above the clouds, 'Damn… so he managed to copy my current energy level! At this rate… he'll…!'

Before he could finish his sentence, Dark Lucario says after Riolu opens his eyes, "Let's see you get out of this, Riolu!"

Dark Lucario throws Riolu down with great amounts of force, sending him flying head down towards the ground.

After he flies through the clouds, he thinks after he opens his eyes, 'I guess I have no other choice but to use my next technique…'

After Riolu manages to run himself around with his back facing the ground, he activates his two white aura bows from his gloves and aims carefully at Dark Lucario.

Riolu thinks as Dark Lucario starts to fly down straight towards Riolu in a nose dive formation, 'If I remember correctly… Dark Lucario is an immortal clone. However… there are a few ways from him to actually die. Either the original body dies, or…'

As Riolu forms an arrow from his right bow, he thinks as an explosion of white aura bursts out of his body like wildfire, 'To completely stop one's heart, lung, or brain functions…!'

Snivy has a shocked expression on her face and thinks as she feels and sees Riolu's white aura, 'Riolu… are you seriously going to use that now?'

Snivy continues after she lands on the ground and starts running as fast as she can towards the charred area of the forest, 'Riolu… if you use that move now, you'll exhaust over half of the energy you've just received!'

Riolu says with a serious expression on his face, "I can only use this move this one time… once I use it, it'll take a few months to recover it. But I have to use it… even if it means!"

Dark Lucario's eyes widen with shock as he sees Riolu beginning to glow bright white, glowing as bright as the sun.

As Riolu glows bright white, the white aura bow from his left hand starts to transform into an arrow.

An aura arrow at first, but slowly changes into a real one with a golden tip and a white colored shaft.

Dark Lucario thinks with a look of shock on his face, 'N-no! How the hell could this be possible?'

After Snivy reaches Riolu and Dark Lucario's area, she looks up at Riolu with a look of shock in her eyes and she thinks, 'Riolu… so you're planning on using God's Arrow, huh? Do you understand what will happen once you use that weapon?'

As Riolu gets closer to the ground and Dark Lucario continues to fly down in the same path, Riolu thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Even though I'm going through evolution… I won't be able to evolve for a while after I fire this attack. I can't allow myself to evolve just yet!'

As Riolu focuses his evolution energy into the bow, Dark Lucario thinks with a look of shock on his face, 'N-no way! He's sacrificing his evolution privileges just to use this one attack! What the hell is he planning on using?'

Before Riolu's back lands on the ground, he yells out with a serious expression on his face, "It's time to finish you off, dark clone! Penetrate his heart, God's Arrow!"

After Riolu fires the arrow and slams right into the ground, Dark Lucario thinks with a shocked expression on his face as the arrow flies straight towards him at blinding speeds, 'G-God's arrow? It can't be!'

After Dark Lucario positions himself in the upward position and tries to fly straight up, his eyes widen with shock as the arrow pierces through his chest and out of his back.

Dark Lucario coughs up blood as he starts falling straight towards the ground with blood flying out of his wound.

While Dark Lucario slowly falls down towards the ground, Snivy rushes towards the crater that Riolu created after falling from the sky on his back.

When she looked down into the crater, her eyes widen with shock when she sees Riolu standing there with an aura chain forming out of his hand that created the God's Arrow.

Riolu is no longer glowing white after he fired his attack.

He looks up at Snivy with a confident grin on his face and he says, "Snivy… I need you to stall Dark Lucario while I charge up my energy again. I need you to buy me some time, so I can finally deliver the final blow."

Snivy nods her head and she replies, "I'll do whatever I can to help you, Riolu!"

After she faces the direction where Dark Lucario is falling, he recovers from his fall and manages to land on his hands and feet.

As he coughs up blood onto the ground, Snivy thinks with a serious expression on her face, 'Now it's my turn to fight, Riolu! I'll take care of the rest for you!'

As Snivy runs straight towards Dark Lucario, she thinks as she activates her Leaf Blade from the tip of her tail, 'I hope you have some sort of plan to kill this bastard!'

As she runs with her Leaf Blade growing sharper, Dark Lucario slowly gets back up onto his feet with his scythe still in his right hand.

He looks right at Snivy with a serious expression on his face and he yells out, "I shall kill your best friend right before your eyes, Riolu!"

Dark Lucario runs straight towards Snivy with blood still flowing out of his chest hole, not able to regenerate at all.


	22. Chapter 22: An Immortal's Death

Chapter 22: An Immortal's Death

Dark Lucario roars murderously as he tries to swing his scythe at Snivy, who is ten feet in front of him, but she manages to evade the attack by slithering underneath the swing of the scythe like a snake and gets back up onto her feet behind him.

She jumps into the air and swings her tail at Dark Lucario's left wing.

Dark Lucario looks back at Snivy with a serious expression on his face as he sees half of his left wing fall to the ground with splatters of blood following the severed part of the wing.

Dark Lucario yells out as he starts turning towards Snivy, attempting to slice her down with his scythe, "You son of a…!"

As he starts swinging his scythe down towards Snivy's head, she smiles as she replies, "Now, now…"

After she disappears and the scythe stabs the ground, Dark Lucario's eyes widen with shock and he thinks while staring at that empty spot, 'Where the hell did she…?'

Before he could finish his thought, he cringes his eyes as he feels an intense amount of pain on his left shoulder blade.

When he looks back, his shocked expression turned into a serious one as he sees Snivy slicing his left wing with one single swing of her tail.

As the wing falls to the ground and Snivy disappears into thin air again, Dark Lucario has a serious expression on his face as he thinks, 'Why can't I regenerate anything? What the hell is happening to me?'

After Dark Lucario pulls out his scythe and tries to find Snivy, Riolu is still standing in the crater, thinking with a serious expression on his face as large amounts of white aura flows out of his right hand, 'It is impossible for anyone besides a God to me immortal… that certain Pokemon may have the ability to regenerate or stay alive after a deadly attack, but it all depends on the energy network in one's own body.'

After he closes his eyes, he hears the inner voice say to him, "_Precisely, Riolu… of course there's no such thing as an immortal, except for the Gods of this world. In that case, the one true weakness of a Pokemon who has regenerative powers is to end a certain organ's functions._"

Riolu opens his eyes and he continues, 'I figured you would come back. I'm surprised you didn't forget about me after Zorua tried to kill me off at that time.'

The voice replies in a serious tone, "_Of course I wouldn't just forget about you, Riolu. After all, you're the only hope for this world's future existence. However, do you remember who I am?_"

Riolu nods his head and he replies as he continues to focus his energy into his hand, 'I do remember… but it has certainly been a while since I've last seen you, Giratina…'

Giratina replies with a pleased tone in his voice, "_It's about damn time you've remembered, Riolu. I've been trying to call you out ever since you've gotten into that deal with Darkrai…_"

Riolu nods his head and he continues, 'Anyway, the only way to kill a regenerative Pokemon is by ceasing the functions of a certain organ?'

Giratina replies in a serious tone, "_Correct… however, it would usually be difficult to cease an organ's functions without first getting to the organ yourself. Even if you destroy the organ, it'll just regenerate into its full form. But by ceasing its functions, the regeneration ability won't work, for restarting an organ is not regeneration, it's considered restarting._"

Riolu nods his head as he continues, 'That makes sense, so it's lucky for me that the God's Arrow has penetrated Dark Lucario's heart, followed by the aura chain at the end of it.'

Giratina replies in a serious tone, "_That was lucky of you… however, you sacrificed your evolution privilege… so in order for you to evolve once more, you have to wait until you regain the ability to use the God's Arrow again._"

Riolu nods his head and he replies with a serious expression on his face, 'I know… I did that on purpose, so I won't be able to evolve.'

Giratina asks in a confused expression, "_But why would you purposefully cease your evolution?_"

Riolu replies as he looks down at his right hand, noticing the white aura flowing out of his hand like a torch, and he replies, 'I want to become stronger in this form first. Besides,'

Riolu looks away from his hand, looks up at the sky and continues, 'After all of this is finished and I regain my ability to use the God's Arrow, I want to see you in the Reverse Dimension before I evolve.'

Giratina replies in an understanding tone, "_I see… so that's what you want to do, huh?_"

Riolu nods his head with a serious expression in his eyes and he continues, 'Yeah… that's the plan.'

After Giratina disappears from Riolu's mind and Riolu continues to charge up his energy, Snivy is currently slicing Dark Lucario's wing clean off with her Leaf Blade, causing a trail of blood to fall to the ground from the wing.

Dark Lucario tries to catch Snivy with his left hand, but she disappears into thin air and reappears right in front of him.

Dark Lucario looks directly at Snivy with a serious expression in his eyes as Snivy prepares to jump into the air and attack him with her Leaf Blade.

Dark Lucario has a ticked off expression on his face as he thinks, 'Why am I not able to regenerate my wings and my chest wound? What the hell is going on here?'

After Snivy jumps into the air and tries to swing her tail at Dark Lucario's chest, he quickly blocks Snivy's Leaf Blade with his scythe.

After her Leaf Blade collides with the scythe, Dark Lucario's eyes widen with shock as the force from the impact send him flying back into the air, causing him to crash into the remaining charred trees and sending them all falling to the ground.

After he lands on his back and weakly gets himself back up onto his feet by using his scythe as a support, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'My power… why is it weakening like this? It feels as if something's draining my power from within my soul…'

After he stands back up and looks down at his chest, his eyes widen with shock as he starts seeing the white aura chain becoming visible.

He thinks with a look of shock on his face, 'So that's it… it must have been from Riolu's God's Arrow! But… if this chain came from the arrow, then that'll mean…'

Dark Lucario looks in the direction where Riolu is located and he continues with the same serious expression on his face, 'Riolu has figured it all out…'

Dark Lucario gets a tight grip on his scythe as he continues, 'However… Riolu still has a ways to go before he could use any other move. That'll still give me plenty of time to kill Snivy and then Riolu!'

As Dark Lucario starts running straight towards Snivy with a murderous expression on his face, Snivy stares down at Dark Lucario with a serious expression on her face and she thinks, 'I'm surprised you can still stand after that blow… I guess I better try harder!'

After she reveals her gloves from her cloak, she thinks with a serious expression in her eyes, 'It's been a while since I've used this… I hope I'll get a good handle on it!'

As Snivy closes her eyes and white aura flows out of Snivy's Heaven Gloves, Dark Lucario's eyes widen with shock and he thinks as he continues to run, 'Why does she have Riolu's white aura? Are they somehow sharing the same aura?'

After Snivy opens her eyes, she says with a serious expression on her face, "I hope you're ready for this!"

Dark Lucario's eyes widen with shock as he sees the white aura taking form of a two silver bladed, white colored scythe.

After she closes her hands on the hilt, she runs straight towards Dark Lucario while readying her scythe in attack formation.

Dark Lucario has an interested smirk on his face as he thinks, 'This should be interesting!'

After they both come into contact and swing their scythes at the same moment, an explosion of black and white aura bursts out of the scythes after they both collide with each other.

As Snivy tries to push Dark Lucario back with her remaining full strength, Dark Lucario manages to stand his ground, trying his hardest to push Snivy back with his remaining strength.

Snivy thinks as she focuses her attention on her scythe's power, 'There's a good reason why I don't summon this weapon, and that's because it takes almost half of my energy to summon it! However, I didn't have much of a choice this time…'

Dark Lucario looks down at Snivy with a serious grin on his face and he says, "You've spent most of your power from summoning that scythe of yours, huh? You're chances of surviving seems to have went down quite a bit!"

Snivy's eyes widen with shock as she feels her feet slowly sliding back from Dark Lucario's push.

She thinks as she tries to stand her ground, 'Riolu… please hurry up before it's too late!'

While Snivy tries to stand her ground, Riolu opens his eyes and he thinks as white aura starts exploding out of his body, 'Finally, my energy is back to full strength!'

Riolu quickly jumps out of the crater and runs in the direction where Snivy and Dark Lucario are located. He thinks with a serious expression in his eyes, 'The only way to kill a regenerator is by ceasing the function of an important organ, huh? Well in that case, my Force Palm should be able to finish the job!'

As Dark Lucario overpowers Snivy and sends her flying through the air in a spiral, Riolu reaches her in time and manages to catch her before she lands on the ground.

After her scythe disappears into thin air, she opens her eyes and sees Riolu looking down at her with a worried expression on his face.

He asks after putting down Snivy on her feet, "Are you all right, Snivy?"

Snivy nods her head and says with a weak expression in her eyes, "Yeah… I'll manage."

After Riolu looks directly at Dark Lucario with a serious expression on his face, he continues, "Thank you for everything that you've done, Snivy. Now it's my turn to deliver the final blow!"

Dark Lucario rushes straight towards Riolu, trying to kill him before he has the chance to deliver the final strike.

But Dark Lucario was too far away and Riolu uses his Force Palm from his right hand, traveling the forceful aura through the chain leading into his still beating heart that can be seen though his chest hole.

After the force aura reaches Dark Lucario's heart, his eyes widen with shock as he stops running dead in his tracks, falling down onto his hands and knees, coughing up blood from the attack on his heart.

But his heart is still functioning as a fast rate. As Dark Lucario struggles to breathe, Riolu thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'I need to fire more in order to kill him!'

As he fires a barrage of Force Palm aura through the chain, Dark Lucario's eyes widen with shock as the barrage of force aura flows into his heart, increasing the heart rate to a dangerous level.

Dark Lucario coughs up more blood onto the ground as blood begins to flow out of his eyes, nose, ears, and the hole wound.

But Dark Lucario still lives as Riolu continues to deliver more force aura through the chains, causing Dark Lucario's heart rate to increase to maximum levels and causing his arms and legs to flail, making most of his bone break into many places and piercing right through his skin.

His scythe and sent flying into the air during the flailing and it pierces into the ground one hundred feet away.

His eyes pop out of his eye sockets as he screams in pure agony, falling down to the ground on his back and blood flowing out of his eye sockets.

Dark Lucario yells out in pure agony, "Lord Darkrai! Lord Darkrai!"

He screams louder before Riolu delivers the final blow to his heart, "Lord Darkrai!"

His screams fall silent as he instantly dies from the final force of his heart.

After he dies completely, his body cracks like an egg and blood and guts spill out of his body.

After the chain and the God's Arrow disappear into thin air, the remains of Dark Lucario instantly catch black fire, turning his remains into ash.

Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he thinks, 'Now the only one to focus on… is Zoroark…'

After Dark Lucario's remains ceased to exist, his three bladed scythe instantly turns into white aura and flows straight towards Riolu.

Snivy has a confused expression on her face and she asks as the white aura forms into Riolu's gloves, "Why did his scythe turn into white aura, and why did it form into you?"

Riolu answers after it completely takes form in his gloves, "My guess… is that he had my remaining power after that mission…"

While Riolu and Snivy head back to the mountain, Darkrai and Zoroark are still out in the forest, having their battle.

Before Darkrai and Zoroark had the chance to exchange blows, they stop in their tracks as they hear Maractus and Audino say from the sidelines, "Dark Lucario… is dead!"

Both Darkrai and Zoroark look right at Audino and Maractus with serious expressions on their faces and Darkrai replies, "So after he was finally able to evolve, he ends up getting killed, huh?"

Audino nods her head and she replies, "Yes, my lord…!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Darkrai instantly reappears right in front of her and stabs her through the chest with his right hand.

Audino's eyes widen with shock and she starts coughing up blood.

Darkrai stares into Audino's eyes with a serious expression on his face and he says, "You know whose fault this is? It's both yours and…!"

He stabs Maractus through the heart with his left hand and he continues after Maractus's eyes widen with shock and she coughs up blood, "I gave you direct orders to keep your master here! And for disobeying my order, you two shall die!"

After he pulls out his arms and both Audino and Maractus fall onto their hands and knees, he stabs them both in the forehead, completely destroying their brains with his Dark Pulse attack.

As their heads explode off of their bodies from the Dark Pulse, Darkrai thinks as both of their bodies instantly crack up like glass and blood and organs spill out of their bodies, 'So Riolu managed to kill off his own dark clone, huh? And to think that dark clone was one of my best allies for the war…'

After Audino and Maractus's remains catch black fire, Darkrai says with a serious expression on his face, "Now, Zoroark! Since you've seen me kill two of your friends, attack me like you are going to kill me!"

But Zoroark just stands there with a serious expression on his face, staring into Darkrai's eyes.

Darkrai asks with a serious expression in his eyes, "What the hell is it, Zoroark? What's with that look?"

Zoroark continues as he charges up his Nigh Slash, "I don't care about those two, Lord Darkrai. They were already dead when I first met them, anyway. They weren't my friends… no one is…"

Darkrai has a serious expression on his face and he continues, "Is that so?"

As Darkrai charges up for his Night Slash, he thinks with a serious expression in his eyes, 'Zoroark… you are my top soldier indeed…'

After Darkrai fully charges up for his Night Slash, he yells out with a murderous grin on his face, "Now fight, Zoroark!"

They both vanish from where they stood, reappeared in the middle of the forest, and exchanged blows, continuing their never ending fight until one falls from battle.


	23. Chapter 23: Darkrai's Two Forms

Chapter 23: Darklone…

It has been two months since Dark Lucario got killed by Riolu and Snivy. On the Underworld Island, Darkrai and Zoroark are still continuing their never ending training battle.

After both Darkrai and Zoroark reappears from out of thin air and runs straight each other, Zoroark has a few scratches on his arms, while Darkrai's left arm has been severed from his body.

After they both exchange blows once more, they both stop in their places.

As they both stand there with both of their attacks still in contact with each other, Darkrai grins malevolently as he says, "You really have gotten stronger…"

He finishes after his right arm falls to the ground with blood pouring out of his wound, "Zoroark… you're strength has surely grown a lot…"

Zoroark moves his arms to his sides and he says as he keeps his Night Slashes activated, "Does this mean that you've lost, Lord Darkrai?"

Darkrai chuckles slightly and he replies as his blood continues to pour out of his limbs, "In this form, you have beaten me…"

Zoroark has a serious expression in his eyes as he asks, "What the hell do you mean by 'this form', Lord Darkrai?"

After Darkrai jumps back fifty feet and lands on the ground, he continues to say as he bends down to the ground with his forehead touching the surface, "You shall see it for yourself…"

After a Dark Void takes form from underneath his forehead, Darkrai stands straight back up and he says with a crazed expression on his face as the Dark Void grows larger, "You may have beaten me in this form, but the battle still isn't over!"

Zoroark's eyes widen with shock as he sees a shadow black hilt with red diamond markings forming out of the void.

The guard comes out next with spikes flying out of them with blood dripping from the tips.

Finally, the blade comes out with twilight colors sparking from the blade. As the tip of the blade stays in the void, Darkrai says with a bloodlust expression on his face, "Now, Zoroark… get ready for the toughest battle of your whole life!"

Zoroark has a serious expression on his face as he sees Darkrai's arms grow back from his own blood. After Darkrai grabs a hold of the hilt and pulls it out of the void, an explosion of red and black aura explodes out of Darkrai's body, sending Zoroark flying off of his feet and through the air, sending him crashing into the upcoming trees.

After he falls onto the ground and opens his eyes, he has a shocked expression on his face as he sees Darkrai up in midair, glowing bright black and red.

As Zoroark gets back up onto his feet, he looks up at Darkrai with a look of concern on his face and he thinks, 'Lord Darkrai's energy is… returning? What kind of sword is that?'

As the black and red aura surrounding Darkrai grows larger like a massive wildfire, Darkrai yells out as two large webbed-hand like wings peeks out of the blazing aura, "Now, Zoroark… this is where the true battle commences!"

Before the black and red aura disappears from Darkrai's body, he disappears into midair and instantly reappears thirty feet behind Zoroark.

When Zoroark looks back, his eyes widen with shock as he sees Darkrai standing there; the aura surrounding him starts to fade away.

As Darkrai's body became visible, Zoroark has a serious expression on his face as he sees the changes that occurred on Darkrai's whole body.

His wings are stretching out, two shadow black, and iron-teethed vice grips form out of each of his wrists.

His hair has grown longer and has turned to the color silver.

Rows of razor sharp teeth grew out of his neck piece.

His eye color went from blue to blood red, and the color of his eyeballs went from white to shadow black.

As his hair blows off of the right side of his face, Zoroark has a serious expression on his face as he sees a claw marked scar going from the forehead, down to his cheekbone. As Zoroark faces him, he asks with a serious expression on his face, "What the hell are you now?"

He grins malevolently and he replies, "You can call me…" He finishes after he flies swiftly straight towards Zoroark with his right hand opened, "Darklone!"

Zoroark's eyes widen with shock after Darklone instantly reappears right in front of him, his right hand opened and about to grab Zoroark by the neck.

But Zoroark manages to jump back just in time and evades Darklone's hand and vice grips.

After Zoroark lands on the ground and slides back ten feet, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Darklone… so this is your other form, huh? But… what is this feeling?'

After Zoroark stops sliding back, Darklone appears right behind Zoroark with his right arm out and hand open.

Zoroark looks back at Darklone with a shocked expression on his face and he tries to block Darklone's attack with his right Night Slash attack.

But the block turns out to be an advantage for Darklone and he grabs a hold of Zoroark's right arm.

As Darklone holds on tight, Zoroark's eyes widen with shock as he sees his Night Slashes disappearing from both arms, being absorbed into Darklone's right arm.

Darklone says as he slowly drains Zoroark's energy out of his body, "I must admit… you're one of the first Pokemon that has ever forced me into this form during a battle. Of course I'm including Arceus in that number."

Before Zoroark could pull his right arm away, Darklone closes his iron-teethed vices into Zoroark's right arm, piercing into the skin and causing blood to fly out of his puncture wound.

Darklone opens his right hand, allowing Zoroark to pull his arm back, but causing his wound to rip open as the vice still stays closed.

Zoroark shuts his eyes tightly with an expression of pain on his face as he jumps back away from Darklone.

His right arm and hand have been sliced in half, revealing torn muscles, bones, and veins.

After he lands on the ground twenty feet away from Darklone, his destroyed right arm hangs to his side, completely useless as blood flows out of his arm.

After Zoroark opens his eyes and looks down at his right arm, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'He absorbed my energy! Just what kinds of abilities does he have in this form?'

When he looked directly at Darklone, he thinks with a serious expression on his face as large amounts of black aura explode out of his body like wildfire, 'Whatever kinds of abilities he has; I can't afford myself to lose here… I must…'

After Zoroark shuts his eyes, Darklone has a look of shock in his eyes as he feels a surge of energy rip through the area, coming from Zoroark's body.

As the surge of energy pushes Darklone back a few inches per second, Zoroark's right arm glows eerily black. As it glows black, threads form out of the torn muscles, bones, and veins and connect back together with the other half.

After Zoroark's right arm completely heals back together, he continues to think as his claws and fangs slowly grew larger, 'I must not get beaten in this battle! I must show Lord Darklone…'

He finishes after he opens his eyes and his hair catches black and red fire, '…that I am not a pathetic weakling!'

As the black aura forming out of Zoroark grows stronger after each passing second, Darklone thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Zoroark… this power!'

Darklone looks down at his own feet with a shocked expression in his eyes, realizing that Zoroark's surges of energy are physically pushing him back a several feet.

Darklone looks straight ahead at Zoroark, holds his ground, and he continues with a serious expression on his face, 'This can't be… he's actually reaching to that level!'

As the black aura surrounding Zoroark covers any visible sighting of him, Darklone thinks with a serious grin on his face, 'If he continues like this… he's going to…!'

Before he could finish his thought, his eyes widen with shock as he feels Zoroark's black aura slowly transform and rise.

He thinks as he stands his ground and pushes himself to fly through the powerful surges, 'Oh damn… I must stop him before he goes any further!'

As Darklone flies through the powerful waves of energy, Zoroark lets out an agonizing howl as he slowly starts transforming into Darklone's form.

After the two webbed-hands like wings grew out of back, two pincers form out of his wrists, causing blood to slowly drip from the tips of the pincers.

But after all of Zoroark, except for his eyes, transforms into Darklone, he thinks with a look of shock on his face, 'This power... it's Lord Darklone's! But… what is this feeling?'

When Zoroark looked down at his hands, his eyes widen with shock as he feels two more webbed-hands like wings growing out of his back, followed by three spear-like bones growing out of each side of his back.

As his hair turns into black and red fire, Darklone thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'He's doing it… I can't allow him to transform into my final form!'

As a pattern begins to take form on Zoroark's stomach, Darklone reaches Zoroark, grabs him by the neck with both hands, and starts absorbing the energy leaking out of his body.

As Darklone holds on tight to Zoroark's neck, the ground surrounding them begins to shift and break apart like an earthquake.

Darklone thinks as Zoroark howls in pure agony, 'So you can transform into this stage, huh? Impressive… I never would have thought you can reach this stage so quickly…'

As the pattern on Zoroark's stomach comes into full form, Darklone says with a serious expression on his face, "Impressive power, Zoroark. I'm quite surprised that you can actually reach my final form like this."

Before Zoroark has the chance to completely transform into Darklone's final body, Darklone slices his pincers right into Zoroark's neck.

Zoroark's eyes widen with shock as blood sprays out of his neck after Darklone lets go and disappears into thin air.

After Darklone reappears fifty feet away, the black aura surrounding Zoroark's body literally explodes fiercely, destroying everything in its path in a forty foot radius.

Darklone thinks after he lets go of his Twilight Blade, sending it back into the shadows, 'Zoroark… I was right to choose you as my worthy apprentice,'

He continues as he slowly transforms back into his Darkrai form, 'The fact that you are able to change into my Darkdeath form, it seems you have finally reached the energy levels of a god…'

After Zoroark instantly transforms back into his normal form and the wounds on his neck instantly closes, he falls onto his stomach, completely knocked out after all of his black aura formed back into his body.

Darkrai thinks as he slowly walks straight towards Zoroark, 'It seems we're almost ready to start our war with Arceus…'

Before Darkrai reaches Zoroark, his eyes widen with shock as he feels an immense power coming from the Mirage Island area.

He quickly looks in that direction and he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'You must have sensed it, Arceus,'

Darkrai looks down at Zoroark and he says, "It seems Arceus is putting Riolu through the same type of training now. But… he's nowhere close to having the same power that you just portrayed, Zoroark."

As Darkrai kneels down and starts to pick him up, Mienfoo walks into the area and she asks with a concerned expression on her face, "What happened over here, Lord Darkrai?"

After Darkrai stands back up with Zoroark over his right shoulder, he looks back at Mienfoo and he says with a serious expression on his face, "He won the fight…"

Mienfoo asks with a look of shock on her face as Darkrai slowly walks towards her, "H-he defeated you in battle, Lord Darkrai?"

After Darkrai is ten feet in front of Mienfoo, he replies, "That's right, but it seems Riolu is going through the same type of training with Arceus."

Mienfoo thinks with a look of concern on her face, 'Riolu… so you're still going to go for it, huh?'

She asks Darkrai with the same expression on her face, "Is there anything I can possibly do for you?"

Darkrai replies as he moves his right hand straight towards Mienfoo's heart, "As a matter of fact…"

Darkrai places his palm over Mienfoo's heart and he continues as he flows most of Zoroark's extra energy into her body, "There is something you can do for me…"

Mienfoo's eyes widen with shock as she instantly begins to glow bright black, screaming in agony as her body starts going through changes.

Darkrai says with a serious expression on his face, "Mienfoo… with Dark Lucario dead, you shall be granted his stage in the war…"


	24. Chapter 24: Snivy's Heart

Chapter 24: Snivy's Heart…

It has been five days since Riolu and Snivy started their training battle with Arceus; the same day that Zoroark and Darkrai's battle ended.

Riolu and Snivy are both up on the top of the summit, while Kirlia and Kirlio have left the island on their ship, searching for new allies to join the upcoming battle against Darkrai and his army of the Underworld.

Riolu looks out at the ocean with a serious expression in his eyes and he says to Snivy after he crosses his arms, "It's almost time for me to regain my God's Arrow ability…"

Snivy nods her head and she replies with a serious expression in her eyes, "I know… which means you'll have no other choice but to evolve, correct?"

Riolu nods his head and he replies while looking right Snivy in the eyes, "Yeah… but before that time comes, I need to see Giratina."

Snivy looks into Riolu's eyes and she asks with a serious expression in her eyes, "What exactly do you want to know from Giratina?"

Before Riolu could reply, they both look right at Arceus as he replies to them, "He wants to know about the blades of the Afterlife, correct?"

Riolu nods his head and he replies with a serious expression on his face, "Yes… I need to know what these spiritual blades really are."

Arceus has a serious expression on his face as he replies, "The only ones that has knowledge of the two blades of the Afterlife are yours truly, Darkrai, and Giratina. However, I don't precisely know the full extent of the Hell Spirit Blade. So Giratina, of course, will have the answers."

Riolu remembers the time he fought against the first giant kraken out in the ocean and he asks with a curious expression on his face, "Arceus… I do remember that Giratina was trying to tell me something about the blades and keys. Do you know what he meant by that?"

But Arceus only replies after shutting his eyes, "The only one that can explain that to you… is Giratina."

Snivy asks with a serious expression in her eyes, "Is there any possible way where I can go with Riolu to see Giratina?"

Arceus replies after opening his eyes, "I'm afraid you won't be able to, Snivy. The only one that can see Giratina at this time is Riolu."

Riolu asks with a serious expression in his eyes, "Why isn't Snivy able to come along with me?"

Arceus looks down at Riolu and he replies with a serious expression in his eyes, "You'll understand once you get there. Now…"

Arceus shuts his eyes and he continues as the giant ring around his waist glows brightly, emitting large amounts of white and golden aura, "Riolu… head down to the dock. That is where you'll find the portal leading into the Reverse Dimension…"

Riolu nods his head and he replies as the white and gold aura fly down the mountain straight towards the dock, "Thank you, Lord Arceus…"

Before Riolu leaves the summit, he turns to Snivy and he says with a smile on his face, "I'll be sure to come back here, Snivy. I promise…"

Snivy smiles back at Riolu and she replies, "Just be careful, Riolu…"

Riolu nods his head and was about to take off down the side of the mountain. But once he reached the edge of the summit, Snivy cries out, "Wait, Riolu!"

Riolu manages to stop in his place and he faces Snivy. After he faces Snivy, his eyes widen with shock as he sees Snivy running straight towards him with her arms stretched out.

Riolu thinks with a surprised expression on his face, 'Is she really going to start that now?'

As Snivy jumps in the air straight towards him, Arceus and Riolu hear Giratina say in their heads, "_The girl can come too…_"

Snivy tackles right into Riolu, hugging him as he falls back, sliding down the mountain with Snivy riding on top.

As they both slide down the side of the mountain, Arceus thinks with a serious expression on his face, "Riolu… Snivy… I hope you two can handle the truth."

After Riolu and Snivy reach the third-quarter mark of the mountain, Riolu asks with a shocked expression on his face, "Snivy… what are you doing?"

Snivy replies as the slowly reach the halfway mark, "I wanted to go with you, so I had no other choice but to tackle you…"

Riolu replies after they reach the halfway mark, "But Giratina just said that you can come along too! Didn't you hear him say that?"

Snivy replies as they head down towards the quarter mark of the mountain, "Yeah… but that was during my midair tackle, so I couldn't stop myself on time!"

When Riolu looked straight ahead, his eyes widen with shock as he sees the snow covered ground coming up ahead.

He looks right at Snivy and he says while trying to break free from Snivy's grip, "Can you let go, please?"

Snivy replies after she looks down and sees the snow coming up, "Y-yes…!"

After Snivy lets go of Riolu, she jumps off of his stomach, causing him to slide down the mountain faster than he was before.

Riolu screams as he slides down towards the snow head first, "Snivy, what was that for?"

After Riolu slams right into the snow head first, Snivy lands on the icy mountain and slides down straight towards the foot of the mountain.

She yells out with a look of concern on her face, "Are you all right, Riolu?"

After she lands on the snowy ground, she sees Riolu stuck in the snow, his cloak revealing his legs and stomach.

Riolu's legs flail around as he yells from the snow, "Snivy… get me out of the snow!"

Snivy rushes to Riolu, grabs a hold of his legs, and pulls him out of the snow.

But she pulls to hard and ends up falling on her back in the snow. She loses her grip on Riolu's legs and accidently sends him flying through the air towards the snow-covered forest.

Riolu screams as he flies out of control through the air and through the snow covered treetops.

Snivy quickly gets back up onto her feet and she yells out as she rushes towards Riolu's direction, "Are you all right, Riolu?"

Before Snivy could reach the forest, she hears Riolu land on the ground. But once she reached where Riolu landed, she giggles slightly as she sees Riolu stuck in the snow again with his legs in the air.

But Riolu manages to get himself out of the snow and ends up sitting down, brushing the snow off of his arms, chest, and head.

While he brushes the snow off of his body, Snivy says after calming down, "I-I'm sorry about that, Riolu…"

Riolu replies as he continues to wipe himself clean of the snow with his eyes closed, "It's all good, Snivy. Just don't do something like that again…"

Snivy closes her eyes, grins, and replies while rubbing the back of her head as her face blushes slightly, "Hehe… all right. But… Riolu…"

Riolu opens his eyes widely and he thinks with a nervous expression on his face, 'Please don't tell me that…!'

Before he could finish his sentence, he looks back and sees a cluster of Beedrill nests up in the trees he just crashed through.

As large amounts of Beedrill come flying out of their nests, Riolu quickly gets back up onto his feet and yells out with a shocked expression on his face, "Oh my god!"

As he starts running away from the cluster of Beedrill nests, Snivy follows him, running away from the ticked off Beedrill.

Riolu screams with a frightened expression on his face, "What the hell, Snivy! Why did you throw me into the Beedrill's nests?"

Snivy replies as she tries to keep up with Riolu, "It was an accident, I swear! How was I supposed to know that the Beedrill would be in that area?"

Riolu looks back at the Beedrill and he says to them as he ran, "I'm sorry that I disturbed your nest, Beedrill!"

But the Beedrill don't listen and they continue to fly angrily towards them, threatening to attack with their stingers.

Riolu looks straight ahead and he says to Snivy as he sees the dock coming up ahead "Lets pick up the pace, Snivy! We need to get to the portal before the Beedrill have the chance to follow us inside!"

Snivy nods her head and she replies with a confident grin, "Last one there is a rotten egg!"

Snivy picks up her speed dramatically, followed by Riolu, leaving the Beedrill behind in a gust of snow. After the Beedrill got hit by the gust of snow and were sent flying back, Riolu and Snivy continue to race each other towards the dock.

Before they reached the dock, they both slowed down their speed so they can stop on time.

They manage to stop running once they both step foot on the dock, breathing heavily as they try to catch their breath.

Snivy looks back and she says with an exhausted look on her face, "I guess we lost the Beedrill…"

When she looked right at Riolu, she says to him with a guilty expression on her face, "I'm sorry about that, Riolu…"

But Riolu just stares straight ahead with an awe-inspiring expression on his face.

Snivy looks straight ahead and her mouth hangs wide open as she sees the portal to the Reverse Dimension right in front of them.

As Snivy stares at the portal, she can see a reflection of Riolu and her on the dock, standing upside down. But behind them, there is no snow on the ground. The ground is blooming with flowers and green grass behind them.

Snivy looks back and only sees the snow behind her. She looks back at the portal and she says with a grin on her face, "There's no question about it… this will lead up into the Reverse Dimension."

Both Riolu and Snivy look at each other eye to eye and they both nod their heads.

When Riolu looked back at the portal and slowly walked towards it, he hears Snivy say in a gentle voice, "Hold on a minute, Riolu."

Riolu stops in his tracks again and faces Snivy. Right after he faces Snivy, he asks with a curious expression on his face, "Is everything all right, Snivy?"

Snivy says as she walks to Riolu, "Riolu… I understand that you want to go into the Reverse Dimension on your own. So if you want me to stay behind, I will."

Riolu has a troubled expression on his face as he says, "Is that so…"

Snivy asks with a curious expression on her face after she stops walking towards Riolu, "Is everything all right with you?"

Riolu replies with the same expression on his face, "Well if you want to stay behind, than why did you put me through all of that trouble with the mountain, the snow, and the Beedrill nests?"

Snivy replies with an embarrassed smile on her face, "I'm sorry I put you through all that, but I figured that was the only way I could have any fun with you before you find out the truth about the blades of the Afterlife."

Snivy has a calmer expression on her face and she replies as she looks down at the surface of the dock nervously, her face blushing slowly, "I also… just wanted to…"

Her voice trails off as she closes her eyes, her cheeks blushing a deeper shade of red.

After Snivy opens her eyes and manages to calm down, she looks straight ahead and sees Riolu standing right in front of her.

Riolu says as he looks into Snivy's eyes, "You do what you need to do. You can come with me if you want, or you can stay here."

Snivy nods her head and she replies with a grin on her face, "All right, Riolu…"

When Riolu faced the portal again and walks straight towards it, he hears Snivy say, "Riolu… I…"

He stops right in front of the portal and he says while still staring into his reversed reflection, "I'm going ahead. If you want to come, then come along. But if you don't come, I'll be fine with that too. I'll be sure to come back to you after I'm done with Giratina."

Snivy was about to say something, until Riolu steps through the portal, disappearing completely from Snivy's sight.

As the portal stays in visual contact, Snivy thinks with her eyes closes and her cheeks blushing slightly, 'I hope you find what you're looking for in there…'

She finishes after the portal disappears from the dock, 'Riolu… I will always be by your side until the end.'

Snivy turns away from the end of the dock and heads back to the mountain with tears of happiness rolling down her cheeks.


	25. Chapter 25: Heaven Spirit Blade

Chapter 25: Living Heaven Spirit Blade?

Riolu is flying through the wormhole connecting to the Reverse Dimension from the real world.

As Riolu flies down towards the entrance of the Reverse Dimension, he thinks with a serious expression in his eyes, 'I need to know everything about the Heaven and Hell Spirit Blades. I need to know why the blades were made in the first place…'

As he passes the halfway mark of the wormhole, he thinks as he looks down at his opened right hand with a serious expression in his eyes, 'The only thing that's been troubling me is the fact that Darkrai made me think that the Hell Spirit Blade was my main goal. He wanted me to take the Hell Spirit Blade out of the Underworld, but for what reason would he want me to think that getting rid of the Hell Spirit Blade would turn me back to normal?'

He looks straight ahead, reaching the third-quarter mark of the wormhole and he continues as he sees the end slowly coming up, 'Darkrai wanted me to get the Hell Spirit Blade out of the Underworld for some reason… I just need to find out what they truly are…'

After he reaches and passes through the end of the wormhole, he enters the Reverse Dimension.

As Riolu looks around at his surroundings, he notices a few differences between the normal world and the Reverse Dimension.

He is standing on an island surrounded by clouds where the ocean would be in the real world. Above Riolu lies the water, covering the whole top of the island. From the clouds; water flies up into the water above in a circular formation around the whole island.

When Riolu took a look at the ground, he notices that there is no snow, just a wide variety of grass and flowers covering the whole island. When he looked straight ahead from the dock, he sees the reverse form of Arceus's mountain.

Riolu's eyes widen with shock when he realizes that the mountain is floating up in the air with clouds and water underneath it, keeping the mountain afloat in the air.

Riolu thinks as he stares at the mountain with a serious expression on his face, 'Giratina… I'm coming your way…'

Riolu starts out by walking off of the dock, then making a running head start towards the mountain through the vast, wide garden.

As Riolu rushes through the wide open garden area of the island, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Snivy… I'm sorry I couldn't stay any longer to hear what you wanted to say. But your aura… why did it feel warmer than it normally does?'

Before he could continue on with his thought, his eyes widen with shock as he hears a strange voice say inside his head, "_The balance in this world is way off…_"

Riolu stops running and he asks while standing out in the middle of the vast garden, "What do you mean by that?"

But the strange voice continues, "_The energy balances… darkness and light…_"

The voice clears away as meager amounts of white aura begin to radiate out of Riolu's arms and shoulders.

Riolu thinks as the white aura continues to radiate out of his arms like steam, 'Where is this voice coming from,' He continues as he looks at both of his arms and shoulders, 'and why is my white aura flowing out of my body now?'

When he looked straight ahead, his eyes widen with shock as his Aura Eyes activate on their own and he starts seeing clouds of black and white aura flowing into the Reverse Dimension.

The white clouds of aura are outnumbering the clouds of black aura as they mix together.

When Riolu's Aura Eyes deactivated on their own, he has a surprised expression on his face as he sees mist covering the entire land.

Riolu starts to shiver slightly as he feels an instant cold breeze all around him from the mist.

Riolu thinks with a troubled expression on his face as he looks around at his surroundings once more, 'What is going on around here?'

Before he could continue on with his thoughts, he hears the strange voice say, "_Darkness… all around us…_"

When Riolu looked straight ahead, he has a shocked expression on his face as he sees a giant shadow taking form one hundred feet away from him.

As the circular shadow reaches a fifty foot radius, Riolu thinks as he sees five giant shadow fingers forming out of the shadow, 'What the hell is that?'

As the shadow hand forms out of the shadow, Riolu hears a voice yell out from above him, "Incoming, Riolu!"

When Riolu looked straight up, his eyes widen with shock as he sees Giratina up in the sky, nose-diving straight towards the giant shadow hand in his original form.

After Riolu jumps back fifty feet away from the giant shadow hand, Giratina pierces right through the palm and out the back, causing large amounts of blood to flow down the wound.

After Giratina climbs back up into the sky, a loud roar of anger sounds from within the shadow.

Riolu looks right at the shadow with a shocked expression on his face as he sees it growing larger in distance.

He lands on the ground, turns the other direction where the dock is located, and starts running away from the quick extending shadow.

As the shadow slowly catches up to Riolu, threatening to devour him, Giratina circles the sky above the giant shadow hand and instantly disappears into thin air.

Riolu looks back at the shadow with a look of concern on his face and he thinks, 'This is not good… if I get caught in that, I'll…!'

As the shadow comes into contact with Riolu's right foot, Giratina reappears above the shadow close to ground level and he says with a serious expression on his face, "Jump on, Riolu!"

Before Riolu's right foot could sink into the extending shadow, he jumps up and lands on Giratina's neck.

After he lands on top of Giratina's neck, Giratina flies straight up, managing to avoid the shadow tentacles coming out of the void.

After Giratina reaches up high enough into the sky near the water, he circles around and faces the direction where the giant shadow arm slowly reaches for the water.

Riolu asks with a shocked expression on his face, "What the hell is that thing?"

Giratina replies as the bleeding hand reaches into the water and its blood pollutes the water to a red color, "I have no idea, but there have certainly been quite a few of them popping out of nowhere…"

When Riolu looked down at the ground at the extended shadow, his eyes widen with shock as he sees another giant shadow arm form out, followed by a giant demon head.

As the head tires to take form out of the shadow, Riolu hears the voice say as the color of his eyes instantly turn blue with the pupils of his eyes turning into a white diamond shape, "_Terminate the darkness… must destroy the threat from Hell!_"

Riolu's eyes widen with shock as white aura spontaneously explodes out of his body. But the white aura has a different form to it, acting as if its real white fire.

As Giratina flies down straight towards the other hand, Riolu's shocked expression turns into a serious one and he says with his voice and the strange voice combining, "_The balance in this world has been thrown off… the dark energies and light energies… must eliminate…!_"

After Giratina pierces right through the other giant hand's palm, Riolu jumps off of Giratina and grabs on to the top of the giant shadow hand.

Giratina looks back at Riolu with a look of shock on his face and he thinks, 'What the devil is he doing?'

As Riolu's two White Aura Blades form out of his arms, he hears the voice continuing, "_Balance disrupted in this world… must terminate!_"

As Riolu climbs up the demon's hand by stabbing his Aura Blades in the demon's hand, Riolu thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'This feeling… it's just like that day!'

He recalls the time when he fought against the first giant kraken and lost complete control of his body.

After Riolu reaches the middle finger, large amounts of white aura explodes out of his body like a massive inferno.

The demon roars in agony as the white aura begins to burn his middle finger severely.

Giratina has a shocked expression on his face as he feels the massive energy waves coming from Riolu. He thinks as he flies straight towards the demon's other arm, 'That power… is it finally reawakening?'

As the demon swings his arm towards the ground, the white aura increases in size and power as it starts burning the demons skin until it becomes charred.

As the white aura slowly turns into white fire, Riolu jumps off of the charred arm and takes flight into the air.

After the hand smacks onto the ground, the skin shatters off like glass, revealing the bones and muscles of its hand as the lacerated skin turns into ash.

The demon lets out an agonizing roar as Giratina and Riolu both fly straight towards the demon's last hand.

After both Giratina and Riolu flew side by side towards the next hand, Giratina thinks as he looks right at Riolu, whose flying through the air looking like a blazing comet, 'His Heaven Spirit Blade… it's slowly reawakening to its true form!'

As Riolu roars loudly, the white aura forming all around his body increases in power, increasing his speed through the air, leaving Giratina behind.

As Riolu reaches the next hand and fiercely stabs his Aura Blades into the palm, Giratina thinks as Riolu jumps off of the palm and stabs his right arm into the demon's wrist, forcing himself to fly straight down while cutting the demon's arm open,

'Riolu… your Heaven Spirit Blade is about to reawaken! After all this time, the Heaven Spirit Blade is reawakening its true strength and form!'

As Riolu continues to fly down with his arm still slicing right through the demon's arm, causing blood to gush out of the massive wound, the Heaven Spirit Blade within Riolu's soul slowly begins to change its form.

White chains form out of the end of the hilt, two white spikes form out of opposite sides of the guard with blue fire lit at the end of the tips, and the blade grows longer with crescent moon shaped blades growing out of the guard, the tips reaching towards the tip of the middle blade.

After the sword changed its form, Riolu's eyes widen with shock as he feels an explosion of energy rip throughout his entire body.

The Aura Blade from his right arm grows larger and longer, reaching the other side of the demon's arm.

After Riolu lands right on the demon's shoulder on his feet, his Aura Blade slices right through the demon's whole shoulder, sending its destroyed left arm timbering down into the clouds.

As the demons lets out a murderous roar, Riolu says with the inner voice's voice combining with his, "_This foolishness must end… this war between Heaven and Hell_!"

As Riolu faces the side of the giant demon's neck, he yells out as he pulls back his giant Aura Blade back aiming for the neck, "_I can't stand this damn war_!"

Riolu stabs right into the demon's neck, causing blood to gush out and fly all over the place.

As the demon screams in a dying matter, Riolu screams out to where Giratina can hear every word, "_It seems as though the Heaven and Hell Spirit Blades weren't enough to keep the war from taking place,_"

Riolu continues as he pulls his right arm out of the demon's neck and stabs it again in a different angle, "_Damn you, Darkrai… you've managed to find a way to unseal the gates of Hell. You've found a way to get your hands on the key…_"

After Riolu pulls out his right arm again, the demon shuts its eyes and slowly starts to fall back towards the clouds.

Before Riolu jumps off of the demon's shoulder, Riolu continues with a serious expression in his eyes, "_I guess we have no other choice but to allow the war to go on. But once the main battle begins, a new spirit blade shall be created._"

After Riolu jumps off of the demon's shoulder as it begins to fall through the clouds towards nothingness, Riolu continues as he flies straight towards Giratina's location, "_I guess we weren't enough to keep the gates of Heaven and Hell sealed away… Zekrom._"

After Riolu shuts his eyes, the powerful white aura that came out of his body flows back into his soul, causing him to slowly fall down towards the ground face down.

As Riolu falls towards the ground knocked out, Giratina flies down straight towards where Riolu is about to land and he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'I guess Riolu now knows a few things about the blade's purposes…'

After he lands above the ground under Riolu's direction, Riolu lands on Giratina's back like a cushion.

After Riolu lands on Giratina's back, Giratina flies towards the top of his mountain, thinking with a look of seriousness in his eyes, 'It seems as though you have no other choice but to use that, Reshiram…'

As Riolu opens his eyes part way, he thinks as his eyes turn back to his normal eyes, 'Reshiram… and Zekrom? Are they the Heaven and Hell Spirit Blades?'

Riolu shuts his eyes, knocked back out into sleep.


	26. Chapter 26: Spirit Blade Truths

Chapter 26: Spirit Blades History

It has been two hours since Giratina got Riolu up to the summit of his mountain. Riolu is lying on his back on the ground, still asleep from the battle.

As Riolu lies there, Giratina stares out into his vast world, seeing the black and white clouds of aura flowing through the area.

Giratina thinks as he sees some of the white aura mixing with the black aura, 'Riolu… since you're Heaven Spirit Blade has already reawakened to its true power… I'm concerned about the type of power Hell has on their side now.'

He looks down at Riolu and he continues, 'You're so-called friend, Zoroark… he has the power of Zekrom and more within his soul. However, Zekrom is being forced to be a part of the war.'

Before he could finish his thought, his eyes widen with shock as he sees the white fire aura blazing out of Riolu's body randomly.

Giratina stares down at the blazing aura and he thinks with a serious expression in his eyes, 'I see… so you plan to take care of the rest, huh? Well then…'

Giratina turns his attention away from Riolu and flies off, taking to the sky near the water. While

Giratina leaves Riolu behind at the summit, Riolu starts to toss and turn in his sleep with a painful expression on his face.

When he opens his eyes, he finds himself within his soul, surrounded by walls of white fire.

As Riolu slowly gets up onto his feet, he hears the strange voice say, "Riolu… or should I say…"

When Riolu looked in the direction where he is hearing the voice, his eyes widen with shock as he sees a white furred version of him standing fifteen feet away.

Riolu asks as he faces the white furred Riolu, "Wh-who are you?"

The white Riolu replies with a serious expression on its face, "I am the Heaven Spirit Blade, Mitchell. You can call me Reshiram!"

Riolu's eyes widen with shock, but he has a look of confusion on his face.

Riolu replies with a troubled expression in his eyes, "You're telling me that you're the Heaven Spirit Blade and Reshiram? But why do you look exactly like me?"

Reshiram replies with a calm grin on his face, "I'm in this form so I don't through off the balance in the Reverse Dimension. With us in this dimension, we're throwing off the balance in this dimension by attracting the darkness. I'm just making Giratina's job as the balancer easier…"

Riolu has a confused expression on his face as he asks, "But why are you here now, Reshiram?"

Reshiram replies as he shuts his eyes and crosses his arms, "It's because my role as Heaven's key has ended and failed. Such as Zekrom being the Hell Spirit Blade; the key of Hell's gate. With both of our roles failed, we slowly revert back to our natural forms… however…"

Reshiram opens his eyes, uncrosses his arms, and he says while looking down at his palms with a look of sadness on his face, "Zekrom and I have already sacrificed our bodies to create the Heaven and Hell Spirit Blades… we are nothing but souls and useless keys now."

Reshiram looks directly into Riolu's eyes and he says, "The only thing I'm good for now if lending you my power like a generator. Just like Zekrom of the Hell Spirit Blade."

Riolu has a look of concern on his face as he asks, "Does that mean Zekrom is lending Zoroark more power than ever before? Does it mean that Zoroark's power has exceeded Darkrai's power?"

Reshiram replies with a serious expression on his face, "Zoroark has gained more power… but Zekrom is being forced to against his own will. For you see, Zekrom and I are only good as being generators now. So we still have to go through this damned war between Heaven and Hell…"

Riolu has a confused expression on his face as he asks, "But what do you mean that he is being forced to against his own will? Wouldn't he be able to resist and not lend any power?"

Reshiram shakes his head no and he replies, "Unfortunately no, for when Darkrai got his hands on the Hell Spirit Blade, he placed a curse on it, which means, Zoroark can freely take all of Zekrom's power if he wished to…"

Reshiram closes his eyes and he continues with a solemn expression on his face and his arms crossed, "It's rather bothersome, but the only way for this war to end is if Zekrom and I were to disappear from this world entirely."

Riolu has a confused expression on his face as he asks, "What do you mean by that, Reshiram? I thought it was Zoroark and I who must disappear from this world in order for there to be peace."

Reshiram replies after he opens his eyes and looks directly at Riolu with the same expression on his face, "Precisely… in order for the world to be back in order, both of you have to disappear from this world as well, for you two have Zekrom and I within your souls, and in order for Zekrom and I to disappear and bring further balance to the world, both you and Zekrom have to disappear."

Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he says, "So is my main goal as a Pokemon to kill Zoroark? Or is there more to it?"

Before Reshiram replies, he turns his back on Riolu, looking up at the top of the mighty white fire wall.

Reshiram replies as he looks in that general area, "I guess you haven't been told the full story, huh? I guess Arceus hasn't told you the truth of why the Heaven Spirit Blade is within you of all Pokemon…"

Riolu's eyes widen and his mouth drops with shock and he thinks after what he heard Reshiram said to him. "I-I never thought about that… the Heaven Spirit Blade being in me of all Pokemon that is…"

Reshiram looks back at Riolu with the front of his body still facing the firewall and he replies, "Riolu… this may be difficult to hear at first, but what I'm about to tell you is the truth."

Riolu listens carefully as Reshiram says with a solemn expression on his face, "There's only one reason why the Heaven Spirit Blade would be in you of all Pokemon, and the answer is that Arceus sealed the Heaven Spirit Blade inside your soul. In other words… he is only using you for the war."

Riolu has a look of disbelief on his face and he thinks, 'Arceus is… using me?'

Reshiram faces Riolu and he continues with a serious expression on his face, "Just like Darkrai, Arceus found a way to retrieve the Heaven Spirit Blade from Heaven's gate. It seems as though he used you of all Pokemon for his own purposes."

Riolu has a downed expression in his eyes as he asks, "So Arceus was only using me from the very start, huh?"

His downed expression turns into a serious one as he asks, "Does Snivy know anything about this?"

Reshiram shakes his head no and he replies with a serious expression on his face, "She does not know… but I would keep what I told you to yourself. There's no need to let Arceus know that you know the truth…"

Riolu nods his head and he continues, "I understand. So Arceus just wants to use me for the war? But what exactly does he expect for me to do?"

Reshiram replies after he closes his eyes and crosses his arms, "Arceus… he is planning on using you like what Darkrai plans to do with Zoroark. He plans on getting you strong enough to battle Hell's army and destroy the apprentice, who wields the Hell Spirit Blade."

Riolu closes his eyes as Reshiram continues, "Riolu… it is true that Arceus is using you, but for all the good reasons."

Riolu asks with a curious expression on his face, "What do you mean by that?"

Reshiram continues after he opens his eyes and uncrosses his arms, "When Arceus figured out how to get the gate unsealed, he was concerned that Darkrai would soon find out how, as well. He knows what will happen at the end of this upcoming war…"

Riolu has a look of curiousness in his eyes as he asks, "What will happen near the end of the war?"

Reshiram replies as he starts walking towards Riolu's direction, "Of course, the main battle will be the battle between you and Zoroark. Of course, that'll mean that the two spirit blades will go into combat as well. When the final moment comes into action, both Zekrom and I will finally die off and recreate a stronger spirit blade."

Riolu asks with a serious expression on his face, "So you two will die off once Zoroark and I vanish from this world, correct?"

Reshiram shakes his head no and he replies, "Not exactly. It'll take place once you weaken Zoroark or pin him down close to death. Once Zoroark is close to death, he'll lose his grip on his energy control, allowing the Hell Spirit Blade to be released. Of course, I'll be released from your body as well once the Hell Spirit Blade is finally out of Zoroark's soul. Once the Hell Spirit Blade is out of Zoroark's body, he'll have next to zero energy, and that'll be the time to deliver the final blow."

But Riolu asks with the same expression on his face, "But what will happen once you and Zekrom are out of our souls? What will happen to the Heaven and Hell Spirit Blades?"

After Reshiram stopped walking and is now standing five feet in front of Riolu, he replies with a serious expression on his face, "Once we're both out, Zekrom and I will die, and the blades will shatter completely. But our aura will still linger in the area, which will form together in order to recreate a stronger key that will keep that gates of Heaven and Hell closed which means that Heaven and Hell will no longer be able to enter the living world."

Riolu asks as he shuts his eyes, "But who will the guardian of this new spirit blade be?"

Reshiram replies as he closes his eyes as well, "The god of ice and snow…"

Both Riolu and Reshiram opened their eyes at the same time as Reshiram finishes, "Kyurem, the guardian of the Life Spirit Blade."

Riolu's eyes widen with shock as he replies, "K-Kyurem?"

Reshiram nods his head, and Riolu asks after calming down, "But what about Arceus and Darkrai? What will happen when those two fight again?"

Reshiram replies as he turns away from Riolu and starts walking back to where he was before, "So… you still remember that event, huh?"

When Reshiram stopped walking, he looks back over his shoulder and he asks, "I assume Arceus told you about that certain event, huh?"

Riolu shakes his head no and he replies, "Actually, Snivy told me about that certain event. Arceus has never said a word to me about it."

Reshiram looks away from Riolu and he replies as he looks up at the top section of the white firewall, "Well… you already know that once Arceus and Darkrai exchange their most powerful attacks at each other, they cause an event to occur called the Big Bang. Their two powerful blows actually created the whole Pokemon World like it is today. This means that the Big Bang also created the Reverse Dimension."

Reshiram faces Riolu and he says while looking into Riolu's eyes with a serious expression in his, "Of course their two powerful blows mean a huge explosion. So if another Big Bang were to occur, it'll mean…"

Riolu finishes with a concerned expression on his face, "…that the Pokemon World will be destroyed, along with everyone within it…"

Reshiram nods his head and he replies as he closes his eyes and crosses his arms, "That's right…"

Reshiram continues as he opens his eyes, but his arms still crossed, "But the battle between you and Zoroark will be different. Even though your power has surpassed Arceus's and Zoroark's has surpassed Darkrai's, the only difference for you two is that you won't recreate the Big Bang."

Riolu has a curious expression on his face as he hears Reshiram continue, "Since you have my power and Zoroark has Zekrom's power, your battle will only cause a massive ice age to occur in the area that you two will fight. It won't be as devastating as another Big Bang, at least."

Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he repeats, "My battle with Zoroark will only cause an ice age, huh?"

Reshiram continues as he turns his back on Riolu once more to look at the firewall, "Riolu… how much do you know about Snivy?"

Riolu has a confused expression on his face as he asked, "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Reshiram replies while still looking at the mighty white firewall, "I mean, how much do you truly know about Snivy?"

Reshiram faces Riolu and he continues with a serious expression on his face, "I mean, do you know what Snivy's true feelings are? Do you know how she truly feels deep within her heart?"

Riolu asks with the same expression on his face, "What are you talking about?"

Reshiram replies as he points right at Riolu and says with his voice rising with seriousness, "Snivy's heart is full of concern towards you, Riolu!"

Riolu's eyes widen with shock as Reshiram continues, "Riolu… Snivy will be by your side in the war. No matter what you say, she'll stick by your side, even if it means she…!"

Riolu has a look of shock on his face and he asks, "A-are you trying t-to tell me that…?"

Reshiram nods his head and he continues, "Riolu… you need to be with Snivy. You can't just let her be alone like you did today. Make every time you have with her precious."

Before Riolu could ask any more questions, the white firewalls began to die down.

As the firewalls slowly shrunk towards the ground, Reshiram says with a serious expression on his face as he moves his arm to the side, "It seems as though my time is up. I used up most of my energy in order to talk to you, Riolu."

As Reshiram slowly starts to fade away, he continues, "I need to rest my energy before I can meet with you again. Remember; spend as much time as you can with Snivy…"

As Reshiram fades away back into the Heaven Spirit Blade, Riolu thinks as he slowly begins to fade away from his soul, 'Snivy… I won't let that happen to you…'

After Riolu opens his eyes in the real world, he sits back up slowly and looks around at his surroundings, trying to figure out where he could possibly be.

When he looks straight ahead, he sees Arceus standing on the top of his hill, looking down at Riolu with a serious expression on his face.

Riolu asks with a curious expression on his face, "How did I end up back here?"

Arceus replies, "Giratina brought you back here once your chat with Reshiram ended. I guess you were zoned out into sleep after that."

Riolu stands straight back up and he asks with a curious expression on his face, "Do you know where Snivy is right now?"

Arceus replies as he looks to his far left in the direction where the forest is, "She is out there, training for the upcoming battle."

Riolu nods his head and he replies with a grin on his face, "Thank you, Arceus."

He runs to the edge of the summit, jumps off of the summit, and starts sliding down the icy mountain side.

After he leaves Arceus behind, Arceus thinks with a look of concern on his face, 'Riolu… I'm sorry if it seems I'm using you for my own good…'


	27. Chapter 27: Evolutions

Chapter 27: Evolutions…

As Riolu continues to slide down the mountain towards the snow covered ground, Snivy is out in the middle of the forest, training as hard as she possibly can for the upcoming war.

As Snivy swings her Leaf Blade at a cut up tree bark, she thinks with a serious expression in her eyes, 'I need to become stronger…'

After she hits the tree three times, she continues as she attempts to go for a forth cut, 'Riolu… I will become stronger and stay by your side through the war.'

After she hits the tree trunk for the fifteenth time, she has a serious expression on her face as she finishes, 'I won't stand by and wait like I did the last time!'

She slashes right through the tree trunk, sending the whole tree timbering down to the ground. After she lands on her feet in the snow, she starts recalling the time when she was left behind at the dock while Riolu went into the Underworld.

As she looks down at the palms of her hands, she thinks with a downed expression on her face, 'Riolu… I hope you come back from the Reverse Dimension soon…'

After Snivy closes her eyes, she thinks as she starts to glow bright white, 'Riolu… you are my… inspiration to keep going.'

After Riolu reaches the center of the forest, his eyes widen with shock as he sees Snivy standing there with her eyes closed while glowing bright white.

Riolu stays quiet and he thinks as he watches Snivy's appearance slowly changing, 'Snivy… you're finally evolving…'

After Snivy opens her eyes and looks in Riolu's direction, she finally evolves into Servine.

After her white glow faded away, she says to Riolu with a grin on her face, "It's about time you got back, Riolu."

Riolu walks toward Servine and he asks with a grin on his face, "So you finally decided to evolve, huh?"

Servine nods her head and she replies softly, "Yeah… I finally made my decision, Riolu…"

Riolu asks after he stops walking and is standing ten feet away from Servine, "What made you decide to evolve now, Snivy? I know you had the chance to evolve a long time ago, but what made you do it now?"

Servine replies as she looks down at her leaf hands, "I decided to evolve… because of what is coming up…"

She looks right at Riolu with a serious expression in her eyes and she says, "Arceus has told me that the war is going to be in at least three days. So I decided now's the time to evolve… because… I…"

Her voice trails off as she starts blushing slightly.

Riolu closes his eyes and grins with a calm expression on his face and he finishes her sentence, "You want to protect me, correct?"

Servine nods her head and she replies, "Yeah… I don't want to stand by doing nothing like the last time."

Her blush vanishes as she starts saying with a serious expression on her face, "Back then, I felt guilty letting you go through that Underworld mission on your own. If it weren't for me, you probably wouldn't have to go through with this!"

Riolu's grin vanishes from his face and he asks, "What do you mean, Servine?"

Servine continues with tears of sadness rolling down her rosy red cheeks, "The fact that you have to fight an old friend! The heartbreak of fighting a good friend that you have to end up killing in the end! If I went along with you and managed to keep you safe, you wouldn't have to go through this emotional pain of fighting an old friend like Zoroark!"

But Riolu remains with an expressionless look of his face and he replies, "Servine… this is not your fault. None of this is your fault."

But Servine replies with the tears growing thicker, "But it is, Riolu! Now you have to go through the pain of fighting an old friend to the…!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Riolu blurts out with a serious expression on his face, "Servine! None of this is your fault!"

Servine stops in mid-sentence and she listens as Riolu says with a serious expression on his face and in his eyes, "What happened back then wasn't your fault! It was my own fault for being caught by Darkrai! Everything happens for a reason!"

Riolu lowers his voice to normal levels and he continues with the same expression on his face, "Servine… if you actually went with me that day, you would be caught up in the same thing that I went through. You would have lost your memory like me, or far worst…"

Servine asks with a curious expression in her teary eyes, "What do you mean, Riolu? What happened on that day that caused you to be caught?"

Riolu closes his eyes and he repeats in a serious tone, "Darkrai… he showed me proof that he didn't have an apprentice yet by destroying his own fortress with both of us still inside. He weakened me severely from the collapse and took me into his chambers,"

He Riolu told what happened, Servine started to picture it in her head as well.

Riolu is in Darkrai's chamber, his wrists and ankles tied up to the corners of the wooden table.

Riolu says to Servine as Darkrai forms out of the shadows right by the wooden table, "Servine… if you went with me that day, he would have killed you. He knew that I had the Heaven Spirit Blade within me, so he took advantage of that,"

As Darkrai places his right palm over Riolu's forehead in the story with black aura radiating out of it, Riolu continues to say to Servine, "He used me to take the Hell Spirit Blade out of the Underworld. He knew that if I took the blade out, the gates of Hell would finally open up again. That means Zekrom's purposes as the Hell Spirit Blade were for nothing,"

As black aura flows throughout Riolu's head in the story making him scream in pure agony, Servine asks with a confused expression in her eyes, "What do you mean?"

As the black aura forms back into Darkrai's hand and he disappears back into the shadows in the story, Riolu continues as he opens his eyes and replies, "The two spirit blades of Afterlife. They are not actually blades, but they are keys to the gates of Heaven and Hell. Not only that, but the spirit blades were made by the sacrifices of Reshiram and Zekrom."

As Riolu slides down the wooden table after the restraints on his wrists and ankles disappeared in the story, Servine replies with a shocked expression on her face, "Unbelievable! What else happened while you were in the Reverse Dimension?"

As Riolu gets back up onto his feet and looks around the chamber with a confused expression on his face in the story, Riolu replies with a serious expression on his face, "I confronted Reshiram within my soul. The Heaven Spirit Blade has reverted into its true form, allowing Reshiram to come out as a spirit and he told me the full truth,"

As Riolu walks to the Hell Spirit Blade and grabs a hold of the hilt, Riolu continues while looking down at his opened palms, "Arceus… he's the one that fused the Heaven Spirit Blade into my soul. He must have done that before I arrived in the Pokemon World. Anyway, Reshiram told me that once Arceus found out how to remove the Heaven Spirit Blade from the gates of Heaven, he was highly concerned that Darkrai would soon find out,"

As Riolu runs down the hallways of the underground chamber with the Hell Spirit Blade in hand in the story, Servine asks with a serious expression on her face, "I see what you're talking about now, but what will happen to the Heaven and Hell Spirit Blades now, since they are useless as keys now?"

After Riolu is suddenly sent into the snowy forest area that was once Zorua's home in the story, Riolu replies with a serious expression on his face while looking straight at her, "Once Zoroark and I engage in battle, the two spirit blades' powers will slowly combine in the area, causing an ice age to take place. However,"

After Riolu places the Hell Spirit Blade up in a tree and is swallowed up by darkness once again in the story, Riolu continues while putting his right palm over his chest,

"Once I manage to bring Zoroark to a close death, he'll lose his grip on the Hell Spirit Blade, releasing it out of his body. Of course, my Heaven Spirit Blade will also form out of my body, and once both blades shatter and the dead spirits of Reshiram and Zekrom remain, their dead souls will combine together, creating a more powerful blade,"

As Riolu wakes up in the forest once again and notices that he is surrounded by demons in the story, Riolu continues, "Of course, my main goal as a Pokemon is to kill Zoroark. But I still believe my other main goal was to help Reshiram and Zekrom create a new powerful spirit blade that Arceus and Darkrai won't be able to get to. But once I do kill Zoroark in battle, Servine,"

As Riolu tries to flee from the demons with cuts on his arms, chest, and face, Riolu says with a serious expression in his eyes, "Once I complete my goal, I will disappear along with Zoroark, Reshiram, and Zekrom… which means you will be left alone in this world. Arceus will be sealed away in his own world… once this is all over,"

As Zorua meets up with Riolu and fights against the demons on his own trying to save Riolu, Servine says with a concerned expression in her voice, "I see… but besides that, how do you plan on fighting against Zoroark, knowing that he was your friend?"

As Zorua runs away in his Riolu from, fleeing from the giant demon with the knocked out Riolu in his arms in the story, Riolu answers with a serious expression on his face, but a concerned look in his eyes, "I just have to go through with it… even though he was my friend back then…"

As the story fast forwards to the point where Zorua tried to kill Riolu by piercing his heart with his Night Slash attack, Riolu continues with a serious expression in his eyes now, "Zorua still tried to kill me that day. There's no question that he'll still try to kill me now, with Mienfoo by his side and in constant danger of getting killed. No matter what it takes,"

As Zorua disappears into the shadows with Dark Riolu, Maractus, Audino, and Mienfoo leaving Riolu behind in the snow in the story, Riolu finishes in a serious tone, "I need to complete my goal. Otherwise everything here will be destroyed, disappearing into darkness."

The story ends there and the mental picture vanishes from their heads.

After Riolu was done telling the story and what he heard from Reshiram, both Servine's and Riolu's eyes widen with shock as they feel a surge of power coming from an unknown area.

When Riolu looked in the direction where Hell's Island is located, Riolu's eyes widen with shock as he sees shadow black lightning flying up into the sky, brightening up the sky in an ominous black glow.

Servine looks in that general area and she asks with a shocked expression on her face, "What the hell is that?"

As Riolu looks in that direction, he hears Reshiram reply in his head, "Oh god… its Zekrom's energy! The Hell Spirit Blade has reawakened!"

As Riolu stares at the black lightning, he says with a serious expression on his face, "Zoroark… it seems as though our time for war is almost upon us,"

As Riolu continues to talk, large amounts of white aura fire erupts from Riolu's body as he began to glow bright white.

Servine looks right at Riolu with a shocked expression on her face and she says as Riolu's form began to change, "Riolu… you're…!"

But Riolu continues to say during his evolution, "Zoroark… I won't allow you to win this battle. Once the time comes for war, I won't go easy on you,"

He continues as the white fire aura grows stronger, reaching for the skies like the black lightning, as if letting Zoroark and Darkrai know what's coming, "I'll use my full power against you. I will keep you from being a piece in Darkrai's strategy!"

Servine looks up at the rising white fire and she thinks with a look of shock on her face, 'H-his power is equal to Zoroark's! How is that even possible?'

After Riolu stopped glowing white and evolved into Lucario, the white aura fire still reaches pass the clouds as he says, "Darkrai… be ready for me, for I will be sure that you lose!"

After the white fire dies off and forms back into Lucario's body, he looks back at Servine with a serious expression on his face and he says, "We must get ready for the war, for I have a feeling it'll come sooner than we originally thought…"

Servine has a concerned expression on her face as she asks, "Why do you think that?"

Lucario replies as he starts walking towards the mountain direction, "From the energy levels I've just released during my evolution, there's no doubt that Darkrai will notice it. He will notice that my power is now equal to Zoroark's…"

He starts running towards the mountain with Servine following from behind.

As they both rush to the mountain, Zoroark and Darklone are going through another never-ending training battle.

Darklone is standing his ground using his two webbed-hands like wings as shields, as the surges of power coming from Zoroark's black lightning aura rams into him like tidal waves.

As Zoroark howls like a demon in the middle of the massive discharge of black lightning, Darklone thinks as he looks in the Mirage Island direction, 'Lucario, huh?'

When he looked back at Zoroark, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Lucario's power is now equal to Zoroark's power! I guess that mean the time for war is about to arrive.'

After the discharge of black lightning dies off and forms back into Zoroark's body, Zoroark falls onto his hands and knees, panting heavily with a look of exhaustion on his face.

After Darklone slightly moved his wings, he has a shocked expression on his face as he sees both of his wings fall to the ground with blood pouring out of the wound like water in a vase.

As Darklone looks down at his destroyed wings, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Zekrom… it seems like you're finally starting to reawaken into your true form.'

When Darklone looked directly at Zoroark, he says as he begins to glow bright black, "It seems as though the time for war is about to arrive, Zoroark."

When Zoroark turned his head in Darklone's direction, his eyes widen with shock as he sees Darklone changing once more.

Zoroark thinks as he sees four webbed-hand like wings grow out of his back, three spear like bones growing out of each side of his back, and Darklone's hair growing longer and turning into black and purple fire, 'So this is your true form, huh? But why does your energy level feel slightly weaker than mine?'

After Darklone stopped glowing black and fully evolved into Darkdeath, he says with a serious expression in his black colored eyeballs and red colored eyes, "Zoroark, it is time for you to rest! For tomorrow, the war shall begin!"

As Zoroark slowly gets back up onto his feet, he hears a female voice ask, "Shall I rest as well, Lord Darkdeath?"

Zoroark and Darkdeath looked where they heard the voice and they see Mienshao standing there with a shadow black, three bladed scythe in her hands.

Blood drips down from the three blades as Darkdeath replies with a serious expression on his face, "It seems as though your training battle was a success after all. How many of them did you kill?"

Mienshao replies with a serious expression on her face, "All that went against your will, Lord Darkdeath."

Darkdeath has a serious grin on his face as he replies, "Very good. Get yourselves prepared for tomorrow!"

As Zoroark and Mienshao headed out of the forest area of the island, Darkdeath thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'It's been a long time since a war like this took place. But now, the second war between Heaven and Hell shall begin tomorrow!'

After Darkdeath disappears into the shadows, an island out in the middle of the ocean in one hundred miles away from Hell's Island forms out of the water.

As the island slowly forms out of the water, a deep and powerful voice says, "_My rebirth… shall come tomorrow. Reshiram and Zekrom… good luck tomorrow._"

After the voice vanishes, the island is out of the water and is slowly flying up into the sky near the clouds of the evening sky.

After it reaches the sky, a huge coliseum takes form out of the ground in the middle of the floating island, waiting for the next day to come.


	28. Chapter 28: The Final Night

Chapter 28: The Final Night

It is now ten O'clock at night and Lucario and Servine are both out at the dock, waiting for Kirlia and Kirlio to return with the ship.

The endless assortment of clouds that are usually surrounding and hiding Mirage Island have faded away, revealing the vast ocean and night sky for the first time.

It is no longer snowing on the island and the snow on the ground has melted away, revealing the greenery and plant life that was underneath the vast snow.

It is no longer cold in Mirage Island, bringing back the normal tropical temperatures.

As they both stand there at the end of the dock, looking out at the sparkling reflection of the moon on the surface of the ocean, Lucario says with a calm expression on his face, "This is our final peaceful night until the war comes, Servine."

Servine nods her head and she replies with a calm expression on her face as well, "I know… this will be the final night that I get to be with you in peace."

As the sounds of the waves rushing up and down the beach fills in the quietness of the night, Lucario and Servine continue to look out at the ocean, remaining quiet for the next three minutes.

Lucario asks with a calm expression on his face as he turns his head towards Servine, "Do you think you're ready for the war tomorrow, Servine? Once it begins, there is no turning back…"

Servine has a look of concern in her eyes and she says as her eyes reflects the beauty of the moonlight glistening off of the ocean's surface, "It's all happening so quickly… it feels as if I've just met you not that long ago. You know what I mean?"

Lucario nods his head and he replies in a calmer tone, "Yeah… it must have been at least a year or so since we've first met. However…"

Lucario looks back out at the ocean, sensing the presence of the ship coming their way. Lucario grins as he says, seeing nineteen more ships following from behind, "It appears they've finally arrived!"

Servine looks straight ahead and her eyes widen with surprise as she sees the number of ships sailing towards the island. As the ships come closer, Lucario yells out to the ship, "It's about time you came back!"

A voice yells back, "No kidding! It's been far too long!"

Before the ship makes dock, a Gardevoir Teleports from the ship and reappears right in between Lucario and Servine.

Servine looks right at Gardevoir with a shocked expression on her face and she asks, "I-is that you, Kirlia?"

Gardevoir looks right at Servine with a smirk on her serious face and she replies, "That's right. So we'll be going to war with Hell and kill that little bastard, Zorua?"

Lucario nods his head and he replies with a serious expression on his face, "Yep. We'll definitely be ending this war. However,"

Gardevoir looks right at Lucario as he continues, "At the end of this war, both Zoroark and I will disappear from this world. The final showdown…"

Lucario looks right into Gardevoir's eyes with a serious look in his and he says, "Once the war end, I will not be here anymore. The final outcome of this war will be my own disappearance…"

Gardevoir has a serious expression on her face as she replies, "That's a pretty heavy burden on your part, huh? I guess either way you look at it, you're damned if you do, damned if you don't…"

Lucario chuckles slightly and he replies, "I suppose that's another way to put it!"

After Lucario finished his sentence, the boat that Gardevoir was on makes dock, while the other ships dock on the beaches.

As Gallade gets off of the ship by jumping off of the deck to the dock, Gardevoir asks with a serious expression on her face to Lucario, "So what the hell happened to all of the snow around here and the dense fog?"

Lucario replies after Gallade reached the group of three, "Arceus cleared it away. He figured that there's no need to keep the island hidden any longer. After the war, Mirage Island will disappear completely, along with the island that Darkrai has taken over."

Gallade has a serious expression on his face and he asks as other groups of Pokémon get off of their ships and start gathering around Lucario, Servine, Gardevoir, and Gallade, "I see… but how are the two islands going to disappear from this world?"

Servine looks around at her surroundings and sees a large group of random battle ready Pokémon from each island near Mirage Island and even near Hell's Island.

Lucario looks around at every battle ready Pokémon and he says, "I must warn you all before it happens. In this war, our main objective is to weaken Hell's battle forces. Of course my main goal is to hunt down Zoroark and fight him one on one. However,"

Lucario looks directly at Servine with a serious expression on his face and he says, "As much as I hate to say this, Zoroark won't be alone in this fight… there's no question that Mienfoo will do anything that she can to protect Zoroark, even if it means killing me as well. This means… you'll be tagging along with me for the real showdown."

Servine's eyes widen with shock as she thinks, 'I-I'm going to be a part of the actual battle?'

Lucario looks back at every Pokémon surrounding him and he continues, "I won't lie to any of you, some of you might not make it out of this war alive. Are you all sure that you want to go through with this war, knowing that you might not make it back home alive?"

One of the Pokémon in the group yells out, "We wouldn't be here if that were the case! We'll fight until the bitter end!"

Everyone else in the army cheers loudly, agreeing to go through the war until the bitter end.

Lucario has a confident grin on his face as he replies, "All right! That's what I like to hear!"

Lucario points back to the ships and he says with a serious grin on his face, "Gather any items you need from this island, for in two hours, we head to Hell's Island and start this war between Heaven and Hell!"

As the army of Pokemon cheered and headed out into the forest area of the island, Lucario, Servine, and Gardevoir stayed behind while Gallade followed the army through the forests.

After they left, Lucario says as he closes his eyes and grins softly, "Gardevoir… what have you told all of these Pokémon before you recruited them? After everything they've heard from Maractus before her decapitation, I would think they'd be hunting me down as well."

Gardevoir chuckles and she says with a serious expression in her eyes, "Let's just say I told them that you were innocent, and that bastard Zoroark is the main enemy. I told them about you being allies with Arceus, and they believed that you couldn't possibly be evil."

Lucario opens his eyes and he says with a serious expression on his face, "You threatened some of them, didn't you?"

Gardevoir replies with a smirk on her face, "At first, yes. I told you before, whoever tries to hurt my friends can kiss my ass, right?"

Lucario chuckles slightly and he says after he closes his eyes, "Gardevoir… thank you for getting them all on our side."

Gardevoir replies with her smirk turning into a calming smile, "It's no problem at all, Lucario."

Gardevoir's smile vanishes from her face and she asks with a serious expression on her face, "Lucario… mind if I ask you something?"

Lucario nods his head and he replies with a serious expression on his face, "Go for it."

Gardevoir asks as she points directly at Lucario's chest, "The Heaven Spirit Blade in your soul… it feels stronger than it usually does. I also detected the same strength coming from Hell's Island,"

Gardevoir finishes after she drops her arm to her side, "Lucario… what the devil happened to you and Zoroark?"

Lucario replies as he shuts his eyes with a serious expression on his face, "The Heaven and Hell Spirit Blades are no longer of any use. They were the keys to the gates of Heaven and Hell, but have lost their purposes when Darkrai and Arceus found a way to remove the keys from the gates. Now they are reverting back to their original forms; they're becoming Reshiram and Zekrom again."

Gardevoir has a serious expression on her face as she asks, "So what's supposed to happen during your fight with Zoroark?"

Lucario replies after he opens his eyes, "Once I bring Zoroark to a close death, the Hell Spirit Blade will be released out of his body. The Heaven Spirit Blade will form out of my soul after the Hell Spirit Blade is out. Once the two blades are near each other, they'll shatter away, leaving Reshiram's and Zekrom's souls behind in the world. However,"

Lucario looks out at the sparkling ocean with a calm expression on his face and he finishes, "Once the two spirits form together, they'll create a new spirit key, which will bring a small ice age into this world,"

Lucario closes his eyes as he recalls the time he first met Reshiram in his soul.

Reshiram tells him in his memory as Lucario tells everyone what Reshiram once told him, "_This spirit blade will be sealed away in the living world, sealing both Heaven and Hell away from the living world. This time, Arceus and Darkrai won't be able to reach this blade. The guardian of the Life Spirit Blade, Kyurem, will be sure to keep them from reaching him._"

Gardevoir has an impressed expression on her face after what she heard, but her impressed expression turns into a curious one and she asks, "But if that's the case, than whom are we fighting for? Whose side are we on?"

Lucario replies as he looks back in both Servine and Gardevoir's direction, "Arceus has already accepted his faith. We'll still fight on his side, but at the same time we fight for our future."

Gardevoir has a serious grin on her face and she replies, "Sounds good to me!"

She says before she turns and walks towards the forest, "I'm going on ahead and gather some supplies for the war."

Servine nods her head and she replies, "Go for it."

After Gardevoir leaves Lucario and Servine alone, Servine starts speaking to Lucario.

"Lucario… are you sure you want to leave in the next two hours?"

Lucario nods his head and he replies as he faces Servine, "I'm sure of it. After all, it'll take a while until we reach Hell's Island."

Servine has a look of concern on her face as she asks, "Yeah, but… that means we don't have that much time for the two of us to…"

Her voice trails off as tears of sadness starts rolling down her face.

Lucario asks with concern on his face as Servine's cheeks began to blush, "Servine… what's wrong?"

Servine cries out with her tears flowing down her cheeks from her eyes, "I'm just not ready for you to leave yet!"

Lucario's eyes widen with surprise after Servine cried out with her eyes shut tightly, "By the time the war is near done, you will disappear from this world and I'll never see you again!"

After Servine opens her eyes and manages to calm down slightly, she continues as she wipes the tears off of her face, "By the time the war begins, I won't be able to be with you alone. You'll be fighting against Zoroark and…"

Her voice trails off once more as her sadness begins to choke her slightly.

As she tries to clear her throat, Lucario starts saying with a serious expression in his eyes, "Servine… you seem to be forgetting something,"

Servine looks right at Lucario and he continues as she tries to wipe away the tears from her face and eyes, "You're going to be by my side during the fight. This won't be the last time we see each…"

His voice trails off as he hears Reshiram say in his head, "_Lucario… do you even know what Servine truly feels within her heart?_"

Lucario closes his eyes and tilts his head down towards the ground. After he grins, he starts chuckling.

Servine has a confused expression on her face and she asks after she wipes her face again, "Wh-what's so funny?"

Lucario opens his eyes, looks right at Servine and he replies with the same grin on his face, "I'm finally seeing where you're coming from with this…"

Servine listens as Lucario continues, "I understand you really do care about me, so I can see why you're feeling like this…"

After Lucario closes his eyes, he hears Reshiram's voice ask, "_Are you thinking on telling her?_"

After Lucario opens his eyes, he says with a confident smile on his face, "But we'll always see each other in our own heart. But during this war, I'll be sticking by your side until the time comes,"

Lucario walks up to Servine and then pats Servine's left shoulder with his right hand. Servine looks right into Lucario's eyes as he finishes by saying, "No matter what happens, I plan on protecting you. I'll fight for your future."

As Servine stares at Lucario's face, she thinks as her blush slowly fades away and a smile appears on her face, 'Thank you… Lucario…'

Her sadness disappears and she says with the same smile on her face, "I'll do the same for you, Lucario! I'll fight until the end!"

After she turns around and leaves to gather some supplies with the others, Reshiram asks in Lucario's head, "_Are you sure about this? You already know what will happen to Servine during this war, correct?_"

Lucario replies with a grin on his face, "I know that… but I'll keep it from happening."

After he says that, he heads out to the forest area too, gathering supplies for the war.

It is now midnight and everyone has grouped back near the docks. Lucario, Servine, Gardevoir, and Gallade are on the docks while everyone else stands in front of them in a large group like a speech.

As Lucario tells everyone their main goals, Arceus looks down at them all from the top of the mountain, thinking with a serious expression on his face, 'Lucario and Servine… you two are the only ones who can finish this war. You two are the only ones who can decide who becomes victorious in this war. You two…'

He finishes as he flies up into the air and flies down towards the docked ships, '…are the only ones who can bring peace back into this world.'

After Lucario finishes telling everyone his plan, Arceus reaches the ships and stays in the air, facing everyone in the group in midair.

As he stares down at them all, he says with a serious expression on his face, "It is time for the war… get into your ships and be prepared to brace yourselves."

After everyone gets onto their ships and sails out into the sea, Lucario's ship is the only one on the dock.

Lucario looks up at Arceus and he asks with a serious expression on his face as Servine, Gardevoir, and Gallade gets onto the ship, "What are you planning on doing during the war, Arceus?"

Arceus replies with a serious expression on his face, "I'll be fighting Darkdeath, of course. But I'll be holding my power back so I don't bring upon a second Big Bang. As for you and Zoroark, you two will be fighting in a different area."

Lucario has a curious expression on his face as he asks, "Where would that be?"

Arceus replies as he looks out into the ocean and up at the sky, "You will be fighting Zoroark on an island of legends. At least up there, the aftershocks of your fight won't endanger the others in the war."

Lucario nods his head and he replies, "Okay."

After Lucario got onto his ship and gets it out into the sea, Arceus flies out along with the ships. After he reaches the middle of the group, he yells out with a serious expression on his face, "Hold on tight, everyone! This is going to be a bumpy ride!"

After white aura explodes out of Arceus's body and expands out to the other ships, Arceus uses his Extreme Speed. Once he starts flying swiftly over the water, all of the ships follow Arceus at the same speed.

Lucario holds on tight to the steering wheel of his ship while the others are either holding onto the side rails or are in the cabins of the ship.

Lucario thinks as he looks straight ahead with his eyes squinting, 'Incredible… this speed is…'

Before he could finish his thought, he looks at both sides of the ship and realizes how fast they are truly going. They have just passed Gallade and Gardevoir's home and in the next second, the island that they were both stranded on when they were Kirlia and Kirlio.

When Lucario looked straight ahead, he has a shocked expression on his face as he sees Hell's Island coming into view.

Lucario thinks as Arceus starts to slow down, 'Zoroark… the time has finally arrived…'

As Arceus returns to normal speed and the ships slowly sail towards the island's beach, Darkdeath is looking down at the ships with a murderous grin on his face.

Zoroark and Mienshao are standing beside him, looking down at the ships as well.

After the ships make dock with the island, Darkdeath yells out to where the whole island can hear, "The time for war has come! Kill every enemy in sight!"

An uproar of demons were heard throughout the whole island and the sounds of footsteps are heard from the forest areas, all heading towards the beach.

While the demons rush towards the beach for the assault, Darkdeath looks back at Zoroark and Mienshao and he says while pointing right at the floating mountain, "I'm sending you two to that island up there. Once you get there, be prepared for the battle."

Mienshao asks with a serious expression on her face, "What are you planning to do, Lord Darkdeath?"

Darkdeath looks down at Arceus with a malevolent grin on his face and he says, "I'm going to pay my old friend a visit…"

After Darkdeath snaps his fingers, both Mienshao and Zoroark disappear into thin air.

Darkdeath continues to look down at Arceus and he yells out after chuckling hysterically and malevolently, "The time has finally come, Arceus!"

Darkdeath jumps off of the mountain and flies down straight towards Arceus with a bloodlust expression on his face.

As Darkdeath flies down towards the ships, Arceus looks up at Darkdeath with a serious expression on his face and he says, "It is time…"


	29. Chapter 29: Reencounter

Chapter 29: Reencounter…

After all of the Pokemon from every ship got onto the beach, they are ambushed by almost every demon on the island.

The war has finally begun with blood raining everywhere from each attack that a Pokemon used.

As the Pokemon fight against the demons while Lucario, Servine, Gardevoir, and Gallade are still on the ship, Lucario asks Arceus with a serious expression on his face, "Where the hell did Zoroark's energy go? He's no longer on this island!"

Arceus looks directly at the floating island to the left of the island and he answers with a grim expression on his face, "He's up there… and he has another Pokemon by his side."

As Gallade jumps into battle with the others, Servine looks up at the sky near the mountain and her eyes widen with shock as she sees Darkdeath coming their way, flying swiftly towards them with a bloodlust expression on his face.

Arceus looks up at Darkdeath and he says to Lucario and Servine with a serious expression on his face, "I'll send you and Servine up to the island. I'll hold Darkdeath off for you until your battle is over…"

Lucario looks right at Arceus with a serious expression on his face and he says, "Arceus… don't release all of your power during your fight with Darkdeath. Remember what happened last time…"

Arceus replies as white aura radiates out of his body like steam, "I know… good luck out there, you two."

After Arceus's white aura explodes out of his body like a wildfire, both Lucario and Servine instantly disappeared from where they stood, being sent to the floating island.

After they both disappeared and Gardevoir jumps off of the ship into the battle, Arceus yells as he flies up straight towards Darkdeath, "Let's see what kind of power you have, Darkdeath!"

Darkdeath laughs malevolently and he yells out with a bloodlust expression on his face, "I've been waiting for this day to come, Arceus!"

After they both collided, an explosion of black and white aura rips through the skies, completely destroying every cloud in its path.

While Arceus and Darkdeath fight near Hell's Island, Lucario and Servine reappears on the floating island. They are standing near the edge of the island, looking right at a giant coliseum standing three hundred feet away from them. Above the coliseum in the night sky lays the moon, glowing ominously red.

As both Lucario and Servine stares at the mighty coliseum, Lucario says with a serious expression on his face, "Zoroark… is in there…"

Both Lucario and Servine looked at each other in the eyes and they both nod their heads. They both look back at the coliseum and walk towards it.

Lucario thinks as they get closer and closer to the coliseum, 'Zoroark… being in the presence of your aura is bringing all of my memories of you back…'

Lucario closes his eyes as he starts picturing the time he first met Zoroark in the forest as a Zorua to the point where Zorua tries to kill Riolu by stabbing him through the chest.

After Lucario opens his eyes, he sees the entrance into the coliseum right in front of him.

He stops walking and just stands there as he sees Zoroark and Mienshao standing on the battleground on the other side of the coliseum, waiting for Lucario and Servine to enter.

Lucario has a serious expression on his face as he sees Zoroark staring him down with a murderous look in his eyes.

Lucario hears Zoroark say from within the coliseum, "What's wrong? Are you frightened to come in, Lucario?"

Lucario doesn't reply and he starts walking through the entrance with Servine by his side.

As they enter the battleground of the coliseum, all of the exits are sealed off, trapping all four Pokemon inside.

After Lucario and Servine stopped walking, Mienshao says in a serious tone as she looks directly at Lucario with her scythe in her hands, "It's good to see you again, Lucario."

Lucario looks right at Mienshao with a serious expression on his face and he says, "Well ah be… so they gave you the same power as my dark clone, huh? This should be interesting."

Zoroark says in a serious tone, "Lucario… it looks like we get to finish what I started after all."

Lucario looks directly at Zoroark with a serious expression on his face and he says, "Yeah… it seems like it, Zoroark."

As they both glare at each other with a look of anger in both of their eyes, Servine thinks as she looks directly at Zoroark with a concerned expression on her face, 'So this is Zoroark, huh? His aura is… evil. His thirst for blood is so great, that I'm actually feeling the presence of that urge from here…'

Zoroark turns his eyes towards Servine's direction, glaring at her with a murderous expression on his face.

As he stares at her, he says with a serious expression on his face, "So… she's the one that saved you from death that day, huh?"

Servine hesitates slightly as Zoroark continues, "If it weren't for your dark clone, Lucario, Mienshao would have been dead since I failed at that quest…"

Zoroark activates his Night Slashes as he says, "I think I'll start this out by killing your little friend over there!"

Zoroark disappears from where he stood like a ghost as he runs straight towards Servine.

But before he could reappear right in front of her, Lucario jumps right in front of Servine, activates his Aura Blades, and blocks Zoroark's attack just in time as he reappears and tried to run his right arm through Servine's chest.

As Lucario held Zoroark there, he says with an angry expression on his face, "I'm the one you want, Zoroark! Leave Servine out of this!"

When white aura from his Heaven Spirit Blade explodes out of his body like a fire, he pushes Zoroark back through the air, sending him flying back to his side of the coliseum.

Zoroark lands on his feet right next to Mienshao and he says as Lucario's white aura forms back into his body, "You're strength has increased, Lucario. Impressive…"

As Lucario stands in front of Servine in the defensive position, Zoroark continues in the same serious tone, "However… how long do you think you can keep your friend safe while trying to fight me?"

Lucario thinks with a concerned expression in his eyes, 'He's right… there's no way I can try to keep Servine safe while fighting Zoroark. But if I let her fight on her own, he could try to kill her…'

Before he could finish his thought, he hears Servine say, "Don't worry about me, Lucario…"

Lucario looks back at Servine with a concerned expression on his face as he hears Servine continue, "I want to fight without you worrying about me. At least let me fight my own battle and you fight your own."

Lucario says in his defense, "Yeah, but…"

But Servine interrupts by saying with a serious grin on her face, "You're kind to be worrying about me, Lucario. But now's not the time to be worrying about me,"

She has a serious expression on her face as she continues; "You should be focusing on Zoroark. No matter what happens to me, you must keep fighting. Whatever happens is meant to happen, correct?"

Before Lucario could say anything, Mienshao disappears from where she stood like a ghost and reappears right behind Servine, swinging her scythe straight towards Servine's neck.

Servine looks back at Mienshao with a serious expression in her eyes and she says, "Oh no you don't!"

Servine ducks down and swings her tail at Mienshao's feet, causing her to start falling backwards. But before she hits the ground, she disappears like a ghost again and reappears by Zoroark's side, standing straight up on her feet.

As Servine stands straight back up on her feet, she continues with a serious expression on her face, "Lucario, please don't worry about me during this battle. It's insulting to a warrior to be worried about…"

Lucario stares into Servine's eyes with a calmer look on his face and he thinks, 'She's right… she's capable of her own battles after all.'

Lucario looks back at Zoroark and Mienshao with a serious expression on his face and he says to Servine, "Just don't die on me, Servine. Keep your guard up at all times, and…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Servine says, "I know…"

Zoroark says as he crosses his arms and stares Lucario down with a serious expression in his eyes, "Lucario… you might as well keep your guard up as well. Wouldn't want you to die so soon before I have the chance to kill you slowly and painfully."

Lucario stares down at Zoroark with a serious expression on his face and he says, "You should do the same,"

Before Lucario finishes his sentence, he disappears like a ghost as he goes for Zoroark's back. But when he reappeared right behind Zoroark and tried to stab him through the back, his eyes widen with shock as he sees black lightning aura flowing out of Zoroark's body.

Lucario tries to stab through the aura, but the aura blocks the attack like a shield.

As Lucario disappears from behind Zoroark and reappears right by Servine's side like a ghost, Zoroark says with a serious expression on his face, "Oh but I am keeping my guard up, Lucario…"

As Zoroark switches to his attack stance, he says as black electricity flows out of his Night Slashes, "Let's get this battle started, Lucario!"

Before the battle begins, Reshiram says in Lucario's head, "_You have no other choice, Lucario. You need to worry about yourself and no one else. Your opponent right now is using Zekrom's power!_"

Lucario looks back at Servine and he says with a serious expression on his face, "I'll take care of Zoroark here. You focus your attention on Mienshao, got it?"

Servine nods her head and she replies with a serious expression on her face, "I understand, Lucario!"

When Lucario looks back at Zoroark, he says as he stands in the battle stance, "All right, Zoroark. You want power?"

White aura fire forms out of his two Aura Blades as he continues, "I'll show you power!"

After both Zoroark and Lucario disappeared into thin air like ghosts, Servine and Mienshao are still standing where they are, glaring at each other with serious expressions on their faces.

As the four Pokemon started their battles, Arceus and Darkdeath are both fighting in midair above the mountain of Hell's Island.

Darkdeath swings his Twilight Blade at Arceus, trying to get a direct hit on Arceus, but the white aura flowing out of Arceus's body is acting as a shield, blocking the Twilight Blade's swings.

But Darkdeath keeps it up, slowly pushing Arceus back with each powerful swing. Arceus thinks as he keeps his white aura armor up, 'I must keep Darkdeath's attention on me. If he manages to weaken me, he'll kill Lucario and Servine!'

As Darkdeath continues to swing his blade at the armor like a maniac, he yells out with a bloodlust expression on his face, "Come on now, Arceus! Surely you have more power than this!"

He swings with ten times the strength, sending Arceus sliding back through the air two hundred feet.

After Arceus recovers his footing and increases the defensive capabilities of his white aura armor, Darkdeath instantly appears right in front of Arceus like a ghost and swings his Twilight Blade again at thirty times the strength.

Arceus's eyes widen with shock as the blast from the swing sends him sliding through the air ten thousand feet.

After he recovers his footing again, Arceus says as his white aura flows back into his body, "Not bad, Darkdeath. You certainly have gotten stronger since the last time we fought."

Arceus closes his eyes and he says with a serious expression on his face, "However,"

As powerful white aura flows out of Arceus's body, he say as a reddish-brown colored plate forms out of the white aura and into his body, "Let's see how long you can last against this!"

Darkdeath smiles malevolently as he sees the ring around Arceus's waist turn into that reddish-brown color.

Darkdeath thinks as he positions his Twilight Blade into the defensive position, 'So he turned into a fighting type, huh? This should be interesting…!'

Before he could finish his thought, Arceus instantly appears right in front of Darkdeath and tackles right into Darkdeath's black aura armor by using Superpower.

Darkdeath slides back thirty thousand feet through the air as he pushes against his blade with his left hand.

After he regained his footing, he says to Arceus with a serious expression on his face, "It seems you have gotten stronger as well, Arceus…"

After Darkdeath switched from the defensive position to the attack position, he says as Arceus flies straight towards him with another Superpower in play, "But how long can you keep this up? You're holding your power back!"

After Arceus comes into contact with Darkdeath, he makes contact with his sword. But the white aura flowing out of his body serves as armor, protecting Arceus from being sliced from the Twilight Blade.

After the blade cracks slightly from the destructive power, Darkdeath jumps back just in time, avoiding Arceus's tackle.

He lands on his feet in midair one hundred feet away from Arceus.

After Darkdeath stands in the defensive position, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Damn… so you have the power to nearly destroy my Twilight Blade, huh?'

Darkdeath raises his Twilight Blade in the air and he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'If that's the case…'

Arceus watches as the Twilight Blade turns into black aura and forms into Darkdeath's right arm.

Arceus thinks as he sees Darkdeath dropping his right arm to his side empty handed, 'Now I see… if I manage to destroy that sword of yours, then you won't be able to stay in that form…'

Before Arceus could finish his thought, his eyes widen with shock as he feels a massive chill coming from his left.

When he looked to his left, he has a shocked expression on his face as he sees a massive gray aura dome covering the entire top of the island.

Darkdeath looks to his right and he asks as he sees the gray aura dome, "What the devil is that?"

When Arceus looks straight ahead at Darkdeath, he has a serious expression on his face as he thinks, 'It seems as though Darkdeath is still clueless about our plan. Now I don't have to worry about stalling Lucario some time with Darkdeath.'

Arceus flies straight towards Darkdeath with Superpower flowing out of his entire body.

When Darkdeath looked back at Arceus, he quickly disappears from where he stood like a ghost.

After Arceus passes where Darkdeath was, Darkdeath reappears where he stood again and he says as Arceus turns around and cancels his Superpower attack, "Show me something new already, Arceus. That Superpower trick of yours is getting annoying…"

Arceus replies as the plate forms out of his body and disappears into thin air, "I guess you're right about that,"

Arceus says as a yellowish-green plate forms out of the white aura and forms into his body, "so allow me,"

Arceus finishes as the ring around his waist turns into the yellowish-green color, turning his into a bug-type Pokemon, "to heat this battle up a notch."

As Arceus and Darkdeath fly straight towards each other, an explosion of freezing aura rips through the sky from the top of the floating island.

As the shockwave of freezing aura vanishes, a scream of agony is heard from the island.

A female scream…


	30. Chapter 30: Angel of Death

Chapter 30: Spirit of Death

Servine is on her right foot and knee on the coliseum ground, placing her left hand on her right shoulder.

She looks down at her right shoulder and sees the cut mark of Mienshao's scythe; meager amounts of blood trickling from the wound.

Mienshao is standing fifty feet away from Servine, resting her scythe on her shoulders.

As the blades of her scythe are pointing down at the ground with Servine's blood dripping from it, she says with a serious expression on her face, "Didn't you listen to Lucario's words? You weren't keeping your guard up that well…"

Servine looks up at Mienshao with a serious expression in her eyes and she says with a smirk on her face, "You're the one who's keeping your guard down!"

After Servine says that, the real Servine instantly appears behind Mienshao like a ghost and swings her Leaf Blade tail towards Mienshao's waist.

Mienshao looks back with a shocked expression on her face and she quickly jumps up high into the air.

But Servine makes contact with Mienshao's right ankle.

After the real Servine disappears into thin air like a ghost and reappears right next to her injured self, Mienshao looks down at the two Servine's with a serious expression on her face and she sees the injured Servine disappear like a shadow.

After Mienshao lands back on her feet fifty feet away from Servine, she thinks as her ankle wound starts to bleed slightly, 'How interesting… so she knows how to create clones, huh?'

Mienshao tightens her grip on her scythe and she says to Servine, "Let's see if you can pull that rick off again!"

Servine says as white aura starts to grow out of her Heaven Gloves, "I'll give you more than that!"

Mienshao watches as the white aura flowing out of Servine's gloves forms into a two-bladed scythe.

As Servine tightens her grip on her scythe, Mienshao thinks with an intrigued look on her face, 'Interesting… so she's wields a scythe as well, huh?'

Mienshao points the end of her scythe as Servine and she says, "That's a nice looking scythe, but how do you think it'll handle against the Grim Reaper's scythe?"

Servine says with a serious question on her face, "There's something I do not quite understand about you, Mienshao."

Mienshao asks, "What do you mean?"

Servine replies while Mienshao keeps her scythe pointing at Servine, "The stories I've heard from Lucario about you… the fact that you were taken hostage by Darkdeath. I don't get why you're helping Darkdeath and his allies after everything they have possibly done to you…"

Mienshao closes her eyes as she recalls the torture Darkrai and Dark Riolu put her through when she was a Mienfoo and when Riolu and Zorua escaped.

After she opens her eyes, relieving herself of the memories, she replies with a serious expression on her face, "You have no idea what kinds of tortures I've been through."

Anger rushes out of her and she yells out as she positions her scythe into the attack position, "There's no way you could possibly understand the type of tortures I had to endure!"

Mienshao rushes straight towards Servine with a murderous expression on her face.

As Mienshao runs straight towards Servine, she continues to yell out with a murderous look on her face, "I won't let anyone take Zoroark away from me! Not after what I've been through!"

As Mienshao swings her scythe down towards Servine's head, Servine quickly jumps out of the way and lands on her feet ten feet away from the swinging scythe.

After she lands on her feet, she quickly switches to the defensive position as Mienshao pulls her scythe out of the ground and runs straight towards Servine.

As Servine jumps back continuously away from Mienshao's fury filled swings, Servine thins with a serious expression in her eyes, 'Whatever they put her through, it must have been pure hell.'

After Servine lands on her feet, she disappears into thin air like a ghost; Mienshao swinging her scythe furiously where Servine was.

Mienshao calms herself down instantly and she thinks with a serious expression in her eyes, 'I have to calm down… I shouldn't let my anger get the best of me.'

When Mienshao looked back, she sees Servine running straight towards her. But when she looked to her left and right, she sees two more Servine coming her way.

Mienshao looks back at the first Servine and she says with a serious expression on her face, "You know how to use your attacks quickly. I guess I should have expected as much…"

Mienshao closes her eyes and she says with a confident look in her eyes, "But let's see how long this trick of yours lasts!"

After Mienshao opened her eyes, an explosion of black aura rips out of her body; the shockwaves of the black aura pushing the three Servine's back through the air in a spiral.

After all three Servine landed on the ground and two of them disappeared, Servine thinks as her eyes are shut, holding in her pain, 'What the hell was that?'

When she opened her eyes and looked directly at Mienshao, her eyes widen with shock as she sees the black aura flowing out of her body like a giant fire.

Mienshao glares down at Servine with a murderous look on her face and she says in the demon language, "Say your prayers, Servine…"

Mienshao finishes as she points the tip of her scythe at Servine, "…for you are going to die from by blade!"

After Servine quickly gets back up on her feet, Mienshao instantly reappears right in front of her and swings her scythe down towards the top of Servine's head.

Servine quickly blocks Mienshao's scythe with her own scythe, trying to hold the attack up as Mienshao tries to push down.

As Servine tries to hold up Mienshao's attack, Mienshao says with a serious expression on her face in the demon language, "It's no use, Servine…"

While Servine holds up Mienshao's attack, Lucario and Zoroark are fighting in midair, clashing and disappearing again and again with Night Slash and Aura Blade in play. With each clash of their attacks, they disappear into thin air and reappear again, clashing with each of their attacks.

As they continue to clash each of their attacks, an explosion of gray aura rips through the sky within the dome, increasing the dome's strength as it absorbs the shockwaves.

After Zoroark and Lucario clash again, Zoroark says with a serious expression on his face, "I've been looking forward for this day to come, Lucario!"

After they both disappeared and clashed again in another random area, Lucario says with a serious expression on his face, "Zoroark, why are you doing this?"

After they both disappeared and clashes again in another area, Zoroark says with a demon like grin on his face, "Why? It's because you're still here, breathing and living!"

Zoroark slowly starts to push Lucario's arms back as he says, "You breathing right in front of me is pissing me off, Lucario!"

Sweat rolls down Lucario's face as he tries to push Zoroark's arms back.

After they both disappeared into thin air and reappeared in another random area in the sky, Lucario yells out with an angry expression in his eyes, "Open your eyes, Zoroark! Don't you see what Darkdeath has done to you?"

After they disappeared and clashed again for the last time, Zoroark yells out with a serious expression on his face, "Of course I do, Lucario! But I've got a reason!"

Zoroark pushes Lucario back through the air with all his strength, sending Lucario flying straight towards the dome wall. He stops in midair before hitting the dome.

As he kneels down on his left knee and right hand, he thinks as he looks directly at Zoroark with a serious expression on his face, 'Zoroark… it seems as though you have closed your eyes and have fallen into the darkness of Hell.'

After Lucario disappears and attacks Zoroark head on, he yells out with a serious expression on his face, "Open your eyes, Zoroark!"

Zoroark's eyes widen with shock as Lucario tackles right into him, sending them both flying straight towards the other side of the dome.

As they both fly toward the dome, Zoroark says with a malevolent grin on his face, "I know everything about the spirit blades, Lucario!"

Before Lucario could slam Zoroark against the dome wall, an explosion of black lightning aura explodes out of Zoroark's body.

Lucario has a serious expression on his face as he says, "So it's going to be like that, huh? Well then…"

An explosion of white fire aura erupts out of Lucario's body as he yells out, "Two can play at that game!"

As Lucario and Zoroark pushed each other back and forth in the air, Servine is still holding her ground underneath Mienshao's scythe.

Sweat rolls down Servine's face as she thinks, 'I can't keep this up much longer. If I don't find a way out of this soon…'

Before she could finish her thought, Mienshao yells out in the demon language, "Awaken angle of death, and strike Servine down!"

As the black aura forming out of Mienshao increases in size and power, Servine thinks as she feels her legs slowly giving in, 'Did her power just increase?'

As Servine continues to stand her ground, Mienshao's body is covered with black armor, shielding her visibility.

Mienshao yells out like a demon, "It's time for you to die already, Servine!"

After Mienshao's body became visible again, Servine has a shocked expression on her face as she sees Mienshao in the Grim Reaper's cloak with the hood up over her head.

Mienshao yells out in her same demon language, "It's time to put an end to this damned battle!"

As Mienshao's scythe began to slowly cut through the shaft of Servine's scythe, Servine thinks with a look of concern on her face, 'I've got to make this next move count!'

After she closes her eyes, she creates nine clones using her Double Team move; the nine clones surround Mienshao and the real Servine in a circle.

As all nine Servine clones ran straight towards the middle, Mienshao says with literal black fire forming out of her eyes in the demon language, "It's useless, Servine! No matter how many of you there are, your destiny is still the same!"

Mienshao successfully slices right through the shaft of Servine's shaft; the tips of the blades making contact with Servine's right shoulder.

Servine screams in pure agony as the bottom blade digs right into her right shoulder; her blood splattering through the air and onto the ground.

After the blade makes contact with Servine's right shoulder, the nine clones yell out with serious expressions on their faces, "You son of a…!"

Before they could finish their sentences, Mienshao forcefully pulls out her scythe from Servine's shoulder and she spins around like a top after Servine's main body falls onto her stomach.

The scythe slices right through all nine clones, causing their blood to spray all over the place as they disappear into thin air.

After Mienshao stops spinning, she looks down at the bleeding Servine with a serious expression in her burning eyes.

As she rests her scythe on her shoulders; Servine's blood dripping from the blades, Mienshao says with a murderous grin on her face, "It's all over for you, Servine…"

As Mienshao lifts her scythe into the air with the tips of the blades pointing up at the sky, Lucario looks down at Servine with a look of shock on his face and he yells out, "Servine, NO!"

As Mienshao starts to swing her scythe down straight towards the back of Servine's head, two figures form out of Mienshao's black aura.

The two figures grabbed a hold of Mienshao's scythe and held it up in the air.

Mienshao has a shocked expression on her face as she asks in the demon language, "What the hell is this?"

When Servine slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the two figures, her eyes widen with shock when she realizes that they are Audino and Maractus; the real Audino and Maractus.

Mienshao looks at Audino and Maractus with a murderous expression on her face and she asks in the demon tone, "What is the meaning of this? How the hell did you two come back?"

Maractus looks right into Mienshao's eyes with a serious expression on hers and she says, "We're not going to allow you to go any further, Mienshao! You are no longer the same Mienfoo we used to know!"

Maractus says with a serious expression on her face, "Besides, where do you think you got all that power from?"

Mienshao's eyes widen with shock as she recalls the time Darkrai destroyed the living dead bodies of Audino and Maractus during his training with Zoroark.

Audino looks right at Maractus with a serious expression on her face and she says, "You take care of holding Mienshao down,"

Audino looks down at the wounded Servine as she finishes, "I'm going to take care of Servine's wound!"

Mienshao looks right at Audino with a serious expression on her face and she says in the demon language, "When I get my hands on the both of you, I'm going to make you suffer a slow and agonizing death!"

After Audino let's go of the scythe and rushes to Servine's side, Maractus quickly summons vines out of the ground and she wraps them around Mienshao's waits, legs, and arms, tying them all together and tangling her up.

As Maractus holds Mienshao down, Audino quickly puts her palms over Servine's right shoulder and uses her Heal Pulse.

As pink aura radiates from her hands into Servine's shoulder, Servine asks with a weak expression on her face, "Wh-why are you helping me…?"

Audino looks down at Servine's face with a cheerful smile on her face and she replies, "Because you're the only one that can open Mienshao's eyes to the truth before her."

Servine has a confused expression on her face as she asks, "What do you mean?"

As Audino heals Servine's wounds, Zoroark looks down at Audino, Maractus, and Mienshao with a serious expression on his face and he says, "Well what do you know… so those two managed to survive Lord Darkdeath's attack."

Lucario looks down at Audino and Maractus with a confident grin on his face and he thinks, 'It seems as though their spirits were able to escape into Mienfoo's aura, just before she evolved. Glad they're on our side in this fight.'

As Zoroark looks down at Mienshao, he thinks with a murderous expression on his face, 'You damned fool… how could you let yourself get captured like this?'

As Lucario looks right at Zoroark with a serious expression on his face, Zoroark yells out with an angered expression on his face, "Mienshao… you son of a…!"

Zoroark disappears like a ghost, causing Lucario to lose his footing in midair.

As Lucario regains his footing and looks straight down at the coliseum floor, his eyes widen with shock as he sees Zoroark reappear right behind the captive Mienshao; stabbing her though the heart with his electrified Night Slash.

As the tip of the Nigh Slash sticks out of Mienshao's chest, she coughs up a lot of blood onto the vines and ground, her eyes widening with shock and disbelief.

Maractus looks right at Zoroark with a shocked expression on her face and she thinks, 'Th-that's impossible!'

Audino looks back at Mienshao with a shocked expression on her face and she thinks as she sees the electricity from the Night Slash burning Mienshao's skin, 'Did Zoroark just kill Mienshao?'

When Mienshao turned her head back slowly as blood came rolling down from the corners of her mouth, she asks with a weak look on her face, "Zoroark… why…?"

As Zoroark twists his arm in her chest like a key, causing Mienshao to scream in agony, he says with a murderous expression on his face, "It's because you failed me, Mienshao."

After Zoroark pulls out his right arm from Mienshao's chest, her body falls over face down in the tangled vines and roots.

As he blood pools out from underneath her, Lucario yells out as he flies down straight towards Zoroark, "Zoroark, you damned bastard!"

As Lucario flies down closer towards the ground, he hears Reshiram say in his head, "_It's almost time, Lucario! Servine's…!_"

Lucario blocks out Reshiram's voice as he picks up his speed down towards Zoroark, trying to beat him to the downed Servine.

After Mienshao died completely, Maractus and Audino began to disappear into thin air.

Audino says with a concerned expression on her face, "Get up, Servine! Get up before it's too late!"

After Audino disappears into thin air along with Maractus, Zoroark is standing in front of Servine's head, aiming the tip of his right Nigh Slash at the black of Servine's heart.

As Zoroark took aim, Lucario yells out, "Servine, get up!"

But it was too late, for Zoroark has stabbed Servine through the back and through her heart.

As Zoroark pulls out his arm from Servine's chest; blood pooling from underneath her body, Lucario yells out with a look of shock on his face, "Servine, NO!"


	31. Chapter 31: Final Showdown

Chapter 31: Ultimate Showdown

After Lucario lands on the ground fifty feet away from Servine's body, he rushes towards Servine with a look of concern on his face.

After Zoroark jumps back fifty feet, expecting an attack, Lucario stops by Servine's side and kneels down next to her.

Lucario cries out as tears to sadness began to reveal in his eyes, "Servine! Don't go, Servine! Don't go!"

He tries to shake her awake, as if she was actually sleeping.

But when she opened her eyes weakly and looked up at Lucario's concerned face, she says in a dying tone, "Lucario… I'm sorry…"

The tears streaming from Lucario's eyes thicken slightly as he says, "No, Servine! Please don't leave!"

But as Servine slowly closes her eyes, she says on her last breath as a tear sneaks out of her right eye, rolling down towards the ground as if escaping death, "Lucario… I… enjoyed… the time… I had… with you…"

After Servine's eyes closed, her head rolls to its side, as if falling asleep in an eternal sleep.

Lucario cries out Servine's name, but it was no use; she is gone.

He drops onto his hands and knees, sobbing over Servine's body.

As he sobs, he hears Zoroark say in a serious tone, "Why are you crying over a meager Pokémon's death? What is the purpose of doing something like that?"

After Lucario managed to stop sobbing, he says while still looking down at Servine's pale face, "You ask me why…? Are you serious?"

When he looked up at Zoroark with his head, he says as his tears chokes his voice, "Are you seriously asking me such a question, Zoroark? I thought you of all Pokemon would understand."

Lucario's voice rises as he continues, "Tell me, what was the reason for you to return to the Hell in the first place?"

As Lucario slowly gets back up onto his feet, he says as his voice slowly continues to rise from sadness to seriousness, "Wasn't your reason for returning to Hell,"

After Lucario stands straight up, he yells out with tears of frustration rolling down his face, "Didn't you return to the Underworld so you could protect Mienshao? Didn't you go back so you could keep her safe from pain and death?"

But Zoroark still has an emotionless expression on his face, as if none of Lucario's words are sinking in.

Lucario has a serious expression on his face as he yells out, "Well, answer me already, Zoroark!"

But Zoroark says nothing and starts standing in the attack position.

Zoroark finally says after he stands in the attack position, "None of that matters now, Lucario. The only thing that matters to me is your death."

Lucario has a disappointed expression on his face and he says as he closes his eyes and looks down at the ground towards Servine's body, "You really have fallen into the darkness…"

After he looked up at Zoroark and opened his eyes, he yells out as his eyes turn into the eyes of Reshiram, "Allow me to reopen your damned eyes, Zoroark!"

Zoroark has a look of shock on his face as he sees white fire aura explode like a supernova out of Lucario's body, sending him flying through the air with his head aiming for wall of the dome.

As Zoroark flies straight towards the dome in an uncontrollable spiral, Lucario looks down at Servine with a serious expression in his eyes and he says as his voice and Reshiram's voice combine, "Servine… I'm sorry I couldn't get to you in time…"

Lucario looks straight ahead at Zoroark with a serious expression on his face and he says as the white aura fire flowing out of his body grew larger and stronger, "I'll be sure to get out of this war with both Zoroark's and my disappearance from this world!"

Zoroark's head slams right into the domes wall, but the shockwaves absorbed into the demon sends Zoroark flying back in the same direction. But he recovers his landing chances in midair and he falls down towards the ground feet down.

After Zoroark lands on the ground on all fours, he looks straight ahead at Lucario with a murderous expression on his face and he says, "You think you can take me along with you, Lucario?"

After he stands up on his two legs, he yells out as a discharge of black lightning aura rips out of Zoroark's body, reaching up to the top of the dome, "The only one who will be dying in this battle will be you!"

Both Lucario and Zoroark have serious expressions on their faces as they both fly straight towards each other, activating their Night Slash and Aura Blade attacks.

After they clash with each other, a massive explosion of energy rips throughout the dome; the shockwaves braking through the dome and reaching the outside world outside of the domed island.

As the shockwaves rip through the sky, the clouds began to get darker, revealing signs of snow or an ice storm.

As Lucario and Zoroark fought in midair, clashing with each of their attacks, Arceus and Darkdeath are still battling up in the air above Hell's Island.

As for the war taking place down on the island, plenty of Pokemon on Arceus's side of the war have dies. But Gallade and Gardevoir are still alive, fighting their way through the assortment of demons in their path.

Arceus and Darkdeath have taken lethal hits from each attack they launched.

Arceus has blood trickling from the wounds on his sides and legs; Darkdeath has blood trickling from the wound on his chest and arms.

Arceus has a serious expression on his face as he thinks while looking in the direction of the floating island, 'Servine… so you didn't make it after all…'

Darkdeath looks in that general location and he thinks with an intrigued expression on his face, 'So you've finally killed Mienshao off yourself, huh? Excellent… it'll only be a matter of time until you become Hell's guardian.'

Arceus looks back at Darkdeath with a serious expression on his face and he thinks with a concerned expression in his eyes, 'I need to weaken Darkdeath to the point where he can no longer use any attacks. I must keep this up; otherwise he'll try to kill Lucario…'

As an explosion of white aura rips out of Arceus's body like a wildfire again, Darkdeath looks in Arceus's direction and he says as the Draco Plate forms out of the white aura and forms into Arceus's body, "This will be your last plate, Arceus."

Darkdeath continues as he faces Arceus's direction, "You better make this one count, Arceus; otherwise you'll be forced to break your promise with Lucario."

Arceus has a serious expression on his face as he says, "I won't allow that to happen!"

After Arceus's ring around his waist turned to a reddish-blue color, Arceus thinks as he fires a barrage of Draco Meteors at Darkdeath from within the white aura, 'You must hurry, Lucario, for if you don't end this battle soon, then I'll have no other choice but to attack with my full power!'

As Darkdeath dodges the upcoming meteors by disappearing and reappearing in a random area, he thinks as he looks in the direction of the floating island, 'They're about to fight with all their strength. You better not lose this fight, Zoroark!'

While Darkdeath avoids the meteors, Lucario and Zoroark are clashing again and again in midair.

After they disappear and clash again, Lucario yells out with a serious expression on his face, "Why, Zoroark? Why did you kill Servine and Mienshao?"

After they disappear and clashed again, Zoroark says with a bloodlust expression on his face, "Mienshao failed me and Servine got in my way."

After they disappeared again and reappeared in a random location, Lucario yells out with an angered expression on his face, "But wasn't your whole reason for returning to Hell was to protect Mienshao?"

After they disappeared and clashed again in another random area, Zoroark says with a serious expression on his face, "Nothing matters to me anymore, Lucario,"

Zoroark finishes as his eyes turn into the eyes of Zekrom and his voice combines with Zekrom's, "My only goal now is to kill you, Lucario!"

Lucario's eyes widen with shock as he feels a massive surge of black lightning aura ripping out of Zoroark's body, and flowing throughout Lucario's body.

As Lucario feels the surges flow throughout his arms, he hears Reshiram's voice say from within his head, "_Darkdeath… that damn bastard placed a seal on the Hell Spirit Blade! He has made Zekrom give Zoroark his full power, thus preventing Zekrom from controlling his own power! Zekrom…!_"

Zoroark says to Lucario in the demon language as he starts pushing Lucario back with his arms, "Lets end this, Lucario, for seeing you standing before me breathing is pissing me off!"

Lucario's eyes widen with shock as he sees a massive discharge ripping out of the black aura, overpowering Lucario's white aura fire.

Lucario is sent flying off of his feet, flying straight down towards the ground of the coliseum.

As he falls down towards the floor, he hears Reshiram say in a serious tone, "_Lucario… time is running out! You must end this battle before it gets out of hand!_"

Lucario replies with his voice still combined with Reshiram's, "I know that, but look at that power coming out of Zoroark now. Even with the God's Arrow, I couldn't pierce through that much dense aura with this power alone."

Reshiram replies as Zoroark starts to fly down straight towards Lucario with a murderous expression on his face, "_There is still a way… but the only move you'll be able to use are your Aura Arrows and God's Arrow._"

Lucario asks as he blacks Zoroark's Night Slash, which sends Lucario falling down towards the ground at a quicker speed, "What do you have in mind?"

Reshiram replies in a serious tone, "_I'll lend you all of my power in exchange for your Aura Blade and Aura Storm attacks. That should give me enough of your strength in exchange for mine. Does that sound reasonable?_"

Lucario nods his head and he replies, "Yeah, but there is one move I want you to lend me in exchange for my Double Team attack…"

Reshiram asks in a curious tone, "_What do you have in mind?_"

After Lucario slams onto the ground on his back, he says as he coughs up blood from the impact, "I want…"

While Lucario tells Reshiram what he wants, Zoroark yells out as he flies down straight towards Lucario, aiming his left and right Night Slashes down at Lucario's chest, "It's time for you to die, Lucario!"

Before he reaches Lucario's chest, his eyes widen with shock as he sees Lucario's Aura Blades deactivating.

When Lucario opened his eyes, he quickly holds out his hands in the air and he yells out with a serious expression on his face, "Force Palm!"

An explosion of white aura rips out of Lucario's palms, making contact with Zoroark's arms and face.

He is sent flying straight through the air uncontrollably; his black aura lightning shrinking in size and power.

While Zoroark continues to fly through the air, Lucario quickly gets back up onto his feet and he says as an Aura Bow began to take form out of his left hand, "I allowed this battle to go on long enough… it's time to end it."

After the Aura Bow takes its form and turns white, Lucario continues as a sphere of white aura began to take form from his left palm, "My final technique… the God's Arrow."

Lucario looks up in the sky and sees Zoroark falling down towards the ground through the clouds head first. But Zoroark has regained controlling of his falling and is now diving down straight towards Lucario at a blinding speed.

Zoroark's legs have disappeared into the black lightning aura that has become a tail of a comet as he falls down through the sky.

Zoroark yells out with a bloodlust expression on his face as he aims his left and right Night Slashes at Lucario's head, "Let's end this, Lucario!"

As Zoroark continues to fly straight down towards Lucario, everything around them turned into slow motion.

Lucario thinks as he places the white aura sphere over the bow, 'Zoroark… this is the only way I can free you from the darkness…'

Lucario continues as he pulls his left arm back, the white aura sphere changing into the God's Arrow with the white chain still connected to Lucario's left palm, 'Zoroark… if I manage to hit you with this attack, you will lose the Hell Spirit Blade from your soul,'

Lucario continues as he pulls the aura string of the white arrow back, aiming carefully for Zoroark's chest, 'Once you lose the Hell Spirit Blade, you'll lose the seal that Darkdeath had placed on it, returning you to who you once were…'

As Lucario continued to take aim, he says with a serious expression on his face, "This last move is for my friends!"

Lucario fires the God's Arrow, sending it flying straight towards Zoroark's direction of his fall.

As the arrow flies straight towards Zoroark, Arceus and Darkdeath are glaring at each other.

Arceus has run out of plates, and is now forced to go for his full power.

As Arceus charges up for his Judgment attack, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'I'm sorry, Lucario. But I'm down to my only option…'

Darkdeath yells out as he charges up for his Hell Void attack, "This is the end for you, Arceus! I win!"

Arceus looks up above Darkdeath's head and he sees how massive his Hell Void truly is.

Arceus thinks with a concerned expression in his eyes, 'With both of our attacks combined, the second Big Bang will come. I'm sorry, Lucario… but I must…!'

Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes widen with shock as he feels a massive burst of energy coming from the floating island.

When he looked in that direction, his eyes widen with shock as he feels the shockwaves of the God's Arrow flowing throughout the sky and Hell's Island.

Once Darkdeath felt the God's Arrow's shockwave, his eyes widen with shock and he thinks as he looks directly at the floating island, 'I-impossible! It can't be!'

As both Arceus and Darkdeath ended their attacks, Arceus thinks with a look of disbelief on his face, 'The God's Arrow has been used… and this shockwave of energy… did Lucario…?'

Before he could finish his thought, he finds himself flying straight up towards the floating island; his curiosity taking him over.

Darkdeath flies straight towards the floating island as well, thinking with a shocked expression on his face, 'This can't be! It can't be possible! Zoroark…!'

Once they both reached the floating island's barrier, they both looked down inside from opposite sides of the dome, looking down inside to see the true results.

Darkdeath's eyes widen with shock and anger as he sees Zoroark on the ground on his back; the God's Arrow pierced right through his chest and into his still beating dark heart.


	32. Chapter 32: Eternal Spirit Blade

Chapter 32: The Eternal Spirit Blade

Darkdeath's eyes are filled with rage as he asks, "How the hell can this be possible? How could Zoroark be taken down like that?"

Arceus says as he looks down at Lucario and Zoroark to Darkdeath, "It seems as though our time in this world is almost over."

Darkdeath looks a crossed the dome at Arceus with an angered expression on his face and he asks, "What the hell do you mean by that?"

Arceus replies as he looks straight ahead at Darkdeath from the other side, "The fact that once Lucario kills Zoroark, the Heaven and Hell Spirit Blades will shatter away, thus creating a powerful blade called the Eternal Spirit Blade,"

Arceus continues as Darkdeath's anger rises, "In other words, a key that we'll never be able to reach. A blade that will keep the gates of Heaven and Hell sealed away; never to return to the living world."

Darkdeath looks down at Zoroark with the same angered expression on his face and he yells out, "Get up already, Zoroark! Kill Lucario while you still have the chance!"

As Darkdeath yells from outside the barrier, Zoroark slowly opens his eyes. He only sees a blurred vision at first, but once his vision recovered, he sees Lucario standing over him.

Lucario says as he reveals the chain coming out of his left palm, "It's over, Zoroark…"

Zoroark looks down at his chest and sees the God's Arrow, the tip in his heart and the shaft sticking out of the center of his chest.

He looks up at Lucario and he says to him with a serious expression in his eyes, "This is… nothing. I can still… kill you… Lucario…"

Before Zoroark could finish his sentence, Lucario punches Zoroark on his right cheek, jerking Zoroark's head to the right. Zoroark spits up blood as his head slowly moves back to where it was before.

Zoroark stares into Lucario's eyes as Lucario asks softly, "Why… Zoroark? Why did you kill Mienshao and Servine?"

Zoroark replies with a serious expression on his face, "Mienshao failed me the moment she got caught by Audino and Maractus. As for Servine… well…"

Zoroark grins malevolently as he says, "I wanted to see your heart crushed by pain!"

Lucario has an angered expression on his face as he starts punching Zoroark continuously on both sides of the face, causing his head to jerk back and forth, following the momentum of the punches.

As Lucario slows his punches, he asks with tears of sadness rolling down his cheeks, "Open your eyes, Zoroark! This isn't the real you!"

In Lucario's head, he pictures the moment Zorua saved him from the demons for the first time.

After Zoroark's head jerks to the right from Lucario's last punch, Lucario continues as Zoroark coughs up blood; his face bloodied by the punches, "The real you I used to know is still in there! The real you that was always by my side."

Lucario's voice rises as he says, "The real you before you tried to kill me on Mirage Island! The real you that I first met before Darkdeath tricked you into taking the Hell Spirit Blade!"

Lucario grabs Zoroark by the skin of his chest and lifts him slightly up from the ground, staring into Zoroark's eyes with a serious expression in his.

But Zoroark says with a serious expression on his face, "The real me that you used to know never existed. The real me that once had feelings towards his friends had never existed to begin with,"

Zoroark continues as he grins malevolently, "My friends mean nothing to me…!"

Lucario punches Zoroark in the face with a strong force behind it, causing Zoroark's head to jerk to hard, that his neck brakes. But Zoroark's regeneration ability kicks in and recovers his broken neck.

When Zoroark turned his head back at Lucario, he hears Lucario yell, "That's a damn lie and you know it! You even told me yourself back on Mirage Island that you wanted to go back in order to save Mienshao!"

Lucario looks to his right as he says, looking right at Mienshao's dead body, "And yet… you killed here in cold blood. You killed the Pokemon you wanted to protect…"

Lucario looks back down at Zoroark with a serious expression in his eyes and he says, "Zoroark… this isn't the real you! Open your eyes!"

When Zoroark looked slowly to his left, he says as he sees Mienshao's dead body lying on the ground, "M-Mienshao…!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Lucario hears Darkdeath yell out, "Don't listen to him, Zoroark! He's filling your head with lies! He's the one that killed Mienshao!"

But Zoroark ignores Darkdeath's words and he continues to mutter, his real voice returning, "M-Mienshao… Audino… Maractus…"

As he continues to stare at Mienshao, meager amounts of black aura begin to seep out of Zoroark's body and up into the air fifty feet above him.

Lucario looks up above Zoroark and he hears Reshiram say in his head, "_It is time, Lucario. You must attack Zoroark's heart in order to release the Hell Spirit Blade…_"

Lucario looks down at Zoroark with a serious expression on his face and he says with his eyes closed, "It's time for you to open your eyes, Zoroark…"

When Zoroark quickly turned his head towards Lucario's direction, he yells out with his voice combining with Zekrom's again; his eyes glowing blood red, "You wouldn't dare!"

Lucario fires his Force Palm through the chain to the arrow, and into Zoroark's heart.

Zoroark's eyes widen with shock as he starts coughing up blood and feeling the excruciating amount of pain in his heart.

As Lucario continues to fire his Force Palm through the chain into Zoroark's heart, Darkdeath yells out with an angered expression on his face, "What the hell are you doing, Zoroark? Why aren't you trying to kill Lucario?"

Darkdeath tries to fight his way through the gray aura barrier, but only ends up in failure as the dome repels him back.

As the Force Palms attack Zoroark's heart, large amounts of black aura begin to flow out of Zoroark's body like fire.

Lucario looks up and sees the black aura taking shape of the Hell Spirit Blade's hilt.

Lucario looks down at Zoroark with a serious expression on his face and he says, "Zoroark… you're almost free from your imprisonment!"

After the black aura takes full form of the Hell Spirit Blade above Zoroark's body, Zoroark's eyes and voice turn back to normal.

As Zoroark falls back onto his back with a weak expression on his face, the white aura chain connecting to God's Arrow shatters away, followed by the God's Arrow.

Lucario has a weak expression on his face as he hears Reshiram say in his head, "_Thank you, Lucario… and farewell._"

After the Heaven Spirit Blade forms out of Lucario's body completely, he falls to the ground on his hands and knees, panting heavily.

As Zoroark slowly closes his eyes, he says his final words, "I'm sorry… everyone… Mienshao… I…"

He closes his eyes and dies where he lies in a pool of his own blood.

After Zoroark dies in his blood, Darkdeath yells out in an angered tone, "How the hell can this be? Zoroark wasn't supposed to lose this war! I made him stronger, I gave him power! How could it be that he lost and died?"

As the two spirit blades formed up into the air side by side of each other, Lucario slowly crawls towards Servine's body; blood rolls down the corners of his mouth as he moves.

He thinks as he slowly gets to Servine's body, 'Servine… I'm not going to let your life end like this…'

As he continues to crawl towards Servine, the two spirit blades shatter away, revealing the souls of Reshiram and Zekrom within them.

Arceus thinks as he looks down at Lucario, 'Lucario… are you trying to do what I think you're trying to do?'

As Darkdeath tries his useless attempt to break through the barrier, the two souls of Reshiram and Zekrom start to combine.

As the two souls combine, Lucario reaches Servine's body. He looks down at Servine with a weak expression on his face and he says, "Servine… this is farewell…"

As Lucario forms his right palm over Servine's chest, the two souls slowly become one gray soul. After they gray soul takes form, Lucario closes his eyes and is using Heal Pulse over Servine's heart.

As Lucario uses his remaining aura and life energy on this Heal Pulse move, he thinks as the gray soul starts to transform into the Eternal Spirit Blade, 'Since I'm going to disappear from this world anyway, I might as well give you a second chance in this world…'

While Lucario continues to use the Heal Pulse, his body slowly begins to fade away into nothing.

Darkdeath yells out as the Eternal Spirit Blade comes into full form, "Damn it all!"

After the blade releases into its full form, a major white out begins, blocking any possible visibility into a never ending white world.

Darkdeath curses as the white out overwhelm him completely. Arceus thinks with his eyes closed and a smile on his face, "You saved us all, Lucario…"

As for the remaining Pokemon of Hell's Island, Gardevoir and Gallade are the only ones alive.

They are caught up in the massive white out as well with a look of surprise on their faces.

In the middle of the white out, Lucario still has his right palm over Servine's chest.

After he sees Servine open her eyes slowly and looking into his, he stops using his Heal Pulse and he says with a relieved smile on his face, "Welcome back, Servine…"

Servine has a confused expression on her face as she asks, "Lucario… what is happening?"

Lucario says with the same smile on his face, "The battle is over. My role as a Pokemon has been accomplished."

Servine has a concerned expression on her face as she says, "So that means you have to return home?"

Lucario nods his head and he says with tears of happiness rolling down his cheeks, "Yes… but I'll never forget about you, Servine."

Servine has tears of sadness rolling down her face as she says, "But… I don't want you to leave. This is all happening way too quickly for me."

Lucario closes his eyes and he says as he starts fading away completely, "Farewell… Servine. I was blessed to have been by your side…"

Servine cries out with tears rolling down her cheeks, "Wait, Lucario!"

But Lucario has already vanished, leaving the Pokemon World behind.

Servine says as the white out grows thicker and her tears thicken, "Lucario!"

After the white out overwhelms Servine, the barrier surrounding the floating island shatters as snow falls from the sky and a massive ice storm rips through the oceans. As the ice makes contact with Hell's Island, the mountains crumbles away like gravel and the forests are instantly wiped from the face of the island.

Darkdeath yells out as he is sent back into the Underworld and the gates of Hell shuts behind him, "Damn it all!"

As for Arceus, he finds himself standing behind the gates of Heaven, watching the gate as it slowly closes. Arceus thinks as the gate shuts completely, 'Farewell, everyone…"

As Servine slowly opens her eyes, she hears the sounds of water rushing up onto the shore of a beach. When she opened her eyes all the way and looked around at her surroundings, she notices that she is on what was left of Mirage Island.

She looks to her left and right and finds Gardevoir and Gallade knocked out right beside her.

When she looks back out into the ocean, she thinks as tears of sadness rolls down her face, 'Lucario… thank you… and farewell…'

As she stares out into the ocean, she hears Gallade and Gardevoir waking up and sitting straight up.

They both look right at Servine with confused expressions on their faces and they ask her, "How did we end up back here?"

Servine replies as she gazes out at the rising sun over the ocean, "Lucario… brought us back here…"

Gardevoir has a concerned expression on her face and she says as she looks directly at Servine, "Are you going to be all right, Servine?"

Servine replies as she continues to look out at the peaceful ocean that's sparkling the reflection of the rising sun, "I'll be all right… knowing that our future up ahead will be peaceful once again."

Gallade looks around at his surroundings and he asks with a look of concern on his face, "Where do you think we are, anyway?"

Servine replies as she closes her eyes and smiles, "We're home…"

Servine thinks as she continues to close her eyes and smile, 'You brought Gardevoir and Gallade back here with me so I wouldn't be alone. You saved our futures and protected us all until the end. You brought me back to life. Thank you, Lucario… and farewell…'


	33. Chapter 33: The True Ruler of the Underw

Chapter 1: The True Ruler of the Underworld

Darkrai screams in pure anger and rage as he falls from the red sky and slams down hard to the ground in his own world. He lies there on the ground motionlessly, watching as the portal from the Blade of Eternity closes at a rapid pace, forever trapping him in the Underworld. As soon as the portal closes, Darkrai curses under his breath as he stands up once more, still wobbly from the severe impact that would have killed any other Pokemon.

As soon as he looks up at the sky where the portal once was, he curses loudly and fires his Dark Pulse attacks blindly at everything in his path: dead trees, his own minions, and everything else there could possibly be in his area. After he fires his last Dark Pulse and sends a dead tree timbering to the ground, he looks back at the sky and yells, "Damn it all! Zoroark, Lucario, Arceus… damn you all!"

He fires another Dark Pulse up at the sky and finally falls to his hands and knees due to exhaustion. As he catches his breath and looks down at the ground, he visualizes his plan that just ended up in failure. "My plan… it was perfect! How is it possible that my plan failed like this? None of this was supposed to happen. I was supposed to rule the living world with an iron fist… and yet… I…"

A deep demonic voice interrupts which causes Darkrai's face to contort with shock, "_You failed, Darkrai. You failed severely._"

Darkrai looks up and sees a massive shadowy figure floating in the air above the ocean of blood. The nightmare Pokemon stands up quickly with fright and says while keeping his eyes on the massive figure, "I-it's you… Lord Giratina! But how is it possible that you are here? I thought you were…?"

"_Dead,_" the mighty shadow dragon interrupts, "_You thought you were able to get rid of me, Darkrai? That is certainly a foolish thought to have. You thought you can get rid of a god?_"

Darkrai takes a few steps back and says, "L-lord Giratina… hear me out on this one! I can explain why I…!"

"_Enough,_" the shadow dragon shouts, "_you may have been able to lead my army for this long, but now your time is up! Now, it is time for you to perish!_"

Darkrai makes the first move and fires his Dark Pulse technique, but the shadow dragon vanishes into thin air, making the attack fly straight to the sky.

Giratina says while Darkrai tries to find him, "_I will admit that you had a good plan at first to take down Arceus, but there were certainly quite a few loopholes in it. The Heaven and Hell Spirit Blades… why the hell would you use those in your plan?! It took a lot of my power to turn Reshiram and Zekrom into those swords and harness my energy into Zekrom to make the Hell Spirit Blade. Because of your mistake, Heaven and Hell have been sealed away from the living world!_"

A look of shock shows on the nightmare Pokemon's face as he feels an immense pain coming from his back and chest. Blood trickles out of his mouth and nose as he looks down and finds one of origin Giratina's wings sticking out of his chest. Darkrai looks at the tip of the wing and sees his still beating heart punctured.

"_You may be an immortal Pokemon when fighting against the mortals… but up against a god, you are nothing in comparison. You have failed me for the last time, and your betrayal will not stand._"

Darkrai slowly looks over his shoulder and sees the wing coming out of a void on the ground. A look of terror shows in his eyes as he hears the screams of bloody murder coming from those who have helped him in the war with Arceus.

As the screams echo throughout the Underworld, Giratina says after laughing at their pain, "_Of course, you will not die in this world. So, I guess the proper punishment for you will be for me to kill you over and over again until you learn your place. You are not the ruler of the Underworld, Darkrai. You will never take my place again! You thought you had the power to kill my father?! I am the one that will be destroying Arceus and take over the living world! Now…_"

Giratina reels his wing back from Darkrai's chest. As the nightmare Pokemon falls onto his hands and knees and coughs up more blood, a massive shadow takes form under his shaking body and thousands of thorny chains fly straight up and pierce Darkrai's body.

Darkrai screams in agony as the razor sharp chains slash their way through his organs, muscles, and flesh. The chains stitch Darkrai to the ground, preventing him from moving.

As the nightmare Pokemon struggles to break free, Giratina yells from within the shadows, "_You thought you could destroy me?!_"

Darkrai screams in agony once more, for he is feeling a massive burn on the back of his body. Storm clouds have covered the blood-red skies and are now raining lava. A chorus of screams roars throughout the Underworld at the lava rain has become a downpour. Darkrai roars in pain has his skin begins to turn to ask, revealing the bones and muscles underneath.

Giratina continues while laughing at Darkrai's suffering, "_You honestly thought I would disappear forever? You thought I would not get my vengeance on you for sealing my away. Well, Darkrai, since you are stuck in here with me for all eternity in this never-ending loop of torture, you will suffer this deathless treatment until I get bored! Or…_"

Darkrai's eyes widen with surprise when he finds himself standing back up in the flesh. It was as though none of it ever happened to begin with. He still feels the burning pain all over his body, but he is back in one piece.

He looks up and sees Giratina floating there again, staring down at him menacingly, "_I would love to kill you right here and now, but thinks to the rules that govern this world, it is impossible to get rid of you. I can put you through the same agony repeatedly, but that will serve no purpose in the long run. You will more likely try to get rid of me again once my back is turned. I guess there is only one thing I can do to keep you in your place._"

Darkrai takes a few steps back as he sees a shadow black sword take form out of Giratina's shadow. "Wh-what do you plan to do to me? What are you going to do with that sword?"

The shadow dragon says while his ominous eyes glows red, "_The same thing I did with almost all of the other legendaries in the living world. Since I have lost the Yin and Yang Spirit Blades, I suppose I shall make a new Spirit Blade to stand in their places. This sword… shall be your sealed tomb!_"

Darkrai stares at the sword with fear and says as he walks back and tries to make a run for it, "No… you wouldn't dare! You wouldn't…!" His eyes widen with fear as he feels yet another pain burst from his chest. He looks at the source of the pain and sees a chain sticking through his chest. His face grows pale as he feels spikes from the tip of the chain puncture his heart and lungs. He falls onto his knees, unable to move with the spikes coursing through out his body like a thread. With a roar from the mighty shadow dragon, the chain from the sword begins to pull Darkrai toward it, dragging his limp body through the dirt and sharp rocks.

As he gets closer to the sword, Giratina says in an amused tone, "_Well, Darkrai, it appears you will be of some use to me after all. You will be the second Spirit Blade I will have in my collection. Besides you, I already have Yvetal in my possession._"

Darkrai cries out for the last time, "What is the true purpose of the Spirit Blades, Lord Giratina?! What are they to you?!"

The shadow dragon answers, "_The answer is quite simple, Darkrai. The Spirit Blades… the legendaries, that is, will be my followers into the new world of darkness. With all the legendaries under my control, we will be able to awaken something far greater than any of us. An almighty being that will bring upon destruction to the worlds besides the Pokemon World. I want to rule them all… not just the Pokemon World, but the Human World, too!_"

Before the nightmare Pokemon can say anything else, he is sucked into the sword. Dark aura radiates out of the sword as soon as Darkrai was forced into the blade, as if trying to get out.

Giratina says as the energy flows back into the blade, "_It is no use, Darkrai. You are all mine, now. You are now going to be a part of my plan for something bigger._"

Darkrai asks before his voice is gone completely inside the weapon, "How do you plan to go on with this plan of yours while you are sealed within this world?"

He answers, "_Who says that I was alone before you sealed me away. Do not forget that I still have followers… who are currently in the living world as we speak._"

The sword remains silent; the seal is complete. Giratina says to himself as the sword disappears into the shadows, "_Now that he is out of the way, I can finally start my plan. Arceus, my father, I shall be the one that takes you down and make you a part of my plan to take over both worlds!_"

The mighty shadow dragon lets out a mighty roar, letting everyone there know that Giratina is the ruler of the Underworld.

* * *

Arceus looks down at the living world from his own world with worry. He is standing on a plateau that is identical to Mirage Island. Everything is the same, down to the last detail. However, the only thing that is different is the fact he no longer has Lucario or Servine by his side. Arceus is observing the life Snivy is having with the village Pokemon of Mirage Island. As soon as he looks away from the living world, a look of sadness shows in his eyes as he sees Palkia and Dialga standing before him, bearing some bad news.

"_I see… so he has made his return to the Underworld. I can only imagine what type of tortures he has in mind of putting Darkrai through._"

Palkia says in a concerned tone, "_With Giratina making his appearance again, it is indeed evident that he is going to continue his Spirit Blade plan. It would not surprise me if he has followers in the living world even as we speak._"

Arceus looks down with a look of defeat and says, "_I would like to do anything I can to help prevent this catastrophe, but I fear there is nothing I can do in this case. With the Yin and Yang Blades formed together to make the Eternity Blade, myself and your brother cannot leave our worlds._"

Dialga asks curiously, "_Father, if you do not mind me asking, for what reason did you turn Yang Spirit Blade into the Heaven Spirit Blade. For what reason did you transfer your own energy into Reshiram's sealed form?_"

Arceus explains, "_I figured if Giratina thought I had turned into the Heaven Spirit Blade, he would lower his guard and I would be able to banish him forever. However, due to the current series of events, Giratina is aware that I am still alive. Perhaps this is the reason why he has revealed his presence to us once more from the Underworld._"

Palkia says that is already within his father's mind, "_It's a shame we have already lost Mitchell in that massive explosion. There is no denying that he is currently in the Human World, unaware that he has ever become a Pokemon._"

Arceus says in a sad tone, "_I am already aware of that… what is even sadder is the fact that the mortals of the living world have no memory of Mitchell's existence. Because no one remembers Mitchell anymore, Servine has returned to her basic form. As for Kirlia and Kirlio, they left Mirage Island behind and have returned to their homeland. Snivy is the only one alive who was once a part of my force against the Underworld. Sadly, she has no memory of ever being in my forces._"

Dialga says concerning, "_The Underworld will soon make their move again. We need to find someone who can help us in the living world. However, since we cannot contact the mortals of the Pokemon World, we only have one option remaining._"

Arceus sighs with grief and says, "_As much as I do not want to do this again, we do have no other choice. We need to contact the Human World. We need to find someone that is capable of helping us. However, the question is who..."_

Dialga says, "W_e cannot bring Mitchell back here again. It's impossible to bring the same human back._"

Arceus says, "_No… we can bring him back here again. However, he will not be the same Pokemon as before. If he is not the same Pokemon, it will not go against the laws of this world. However, he will not have any memory of being in this world before. That is, if I allow it. We have no other choice but to bring him back. He is the only one capable of returning to this world without being rejected by the forces between our worlds._"

Palkia and Dialga exchange glances, worried about their father's choice. They both look back at Arceus and Palkia says, "_It is perhaps something we can attempt. However, he only has a fifty-fifty shot of making it back to this world. In order to do this, he will have to come back as a different Pokemon and have no memory of being in this world before. If the forces between our worlds reject his return, we will have to go for someone else. We'll be taking a huge risk by trying this…_"

Concern appears in the god's eyes as Dialga explains the risks, "_If the forces between our worlds do reject his return, we take the chance of weakening it, which will cause both worlds to collide and destroy one another. If it does work, than we are in the clear._"

Arceus closes his eyes and thinks of the choice that stands before him. After a few moments of thinking, he opens his eyes with a look of sadness and says, "As much as I would like to bring Mitchell back, the chances are far too great. We will have to find someone else that can take on this role."

"_Wise choice, father,_" Palkia says, "_if you find someone that will be perfect for the job, please let us know and we will get everything prepared for the summoning._"

"_Very well,_" Arceus says, "_for now, get your energies ready for the summoning._"

The space and time dragons bow their heads to their father and prepare themselves for the summoning process. Arceus looks back down at the living world and thinks with worry, '_Who will be out there? Will he or she be strong enough to handle what is to come? Whatever it takes, we must put an end to my son's plan. If he succeeds, we will surely be in a far worst situation than when Darkrai took over._'

Arceus closes his eyes and focuses his mind into the human world, searching for possible people who can take on such a serious role. After an hour of searching, he opens his eyes and says, "_Alright, Palkia and Dialga, prepare the summoning. It is time to set everything into motion!_"

With a mighty roar, Palkia and Dialga glow bright blue and pink and open a dimensional wormhole in the night sky of the living world. One portal opens over Mirage Island, while the others form in other sections of the world.

"_Father, what is this?_" asks Palkia. The alpha Pokemon answers, "_I have found many others that can help us, but I decided not to leave __**him**__ out of this._"

Dialga says, "_Well, besides __**him**__, how many others have you found?_"

He answers, "_Besides __**him**__, there are two others. Now, it is time for everything to come back together once more. I pray that these humans will be able to help us._"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

I could not help but try to continue this story. However, I am not sure how long it will last. Perhaps this will be one of those projects that will take longer to finish, since I do not have as much free time as I normally do. Well, if you have reached my notes and are currently reading it, please let me know what you think of this idea so far. Do you all like the idea that Darkrai is gone and that Giratina is the true ruler of the Underworld? Please let me know in the reviews if you are able to. Well, it appears I will be making a return into the Pokemon World... the question is... who will I become now?


	34. Chapter 34: Saved Shadow

Chapter 34: Saved Shadow

_To this day, I still wonder why Lord Arceus saved my life. Every time I wake up from my continuous nightmare, I look in the darkness of my room and wonder why Arceus kept me in this world. I do not deserve to have this hospitality, not after what I did in the living world. I have fallen for the darkness and followed it blindly. However, Mitchell brought me out of the darkness near the end of our battle during the second war between Heaven and Hell._

I killed so many innocent Pokemon back then, that I am not sure if I can handle the pressure. However, Arceus made it to where most if not all Pokemon are brought back to life after the war. He told me that Mienfoo, Audino, and Maractus are all back on Mirage Island, living happily with Mitchell's old friend, Snivy.

With Mitchell back in the human world, the memories of him and the war have been erased from everyone's minds. Well, perhaps I should not say everyone. Besides Arceus and his two sons, I still have my memories. There is a good reason why I still have my memories and no one else does about Mitchell and the war, and that is because some of Darkrai's energy is still within my soul. I may no longer have Yang Spirit Blade, but Darkrai's energy is trapped within me.

Arceus tried to help me by getting the dark and twisted energy out of my soul, but that attempt almost destroyed me. For the sake of everything, I have to endure knowing that Darkrai's energy will be within my soul, increasing my chances of losing my sanity if I am not careful. I suppose this is the cross I must bear for everything I did while being that bastard's apprentice. I suppose this is indeed my punishment. I do not hold it against Arceus, he did what he could.

Anyway, Arceus filled me in on the details about the movement in the Underworld. It seems that Darkrai is indeed not the true ruler of the Underworld. The one that is the king of that forsaken place in none other than Giratina, Arceus's third son. Because of Giratina's behavior and his plan to take over the Pokemon World, Arceus banished his son into the Underworld, since he in the one that created the Yin and Yang Spirit Blades by capturing Reshiram and Zekrom.

As soon as Darkrai got wind of Giratina's Spirit Swords, he tricked Giratina and sealed him away. Since Darkrai had no inkling as to what the Spirit Blades were meant to do, he turned the Yin Spirit Blade into the Hell Spirit Blade by transferring some of his energy into the sword, driving Zekrom into pure madness. Well, at least that is what I got from Zekrom when he was sealed within my soul.

Now that Darkrai's and Arceus's energies have been rejected from the combined swords, the Eternal Spirit Blade, Giratina has made his return into the Underworld and is doing god knows what to Darkrai. In truth, I do not feel bad for Darkrai at all, for he made the lives of my friends and loved ones a living hell. Darkrai can face an eternity of torture and continuous death for all I care. I just wish I could get my revenge on him for everything that he has done.

However, Arceus made it clear to me that Darkrai is no longer in the picture, especially if Giratina plans on going for his Spirit Blade plan. I asked Arceus if he knew what the Spirit Blades are meant to be used for, but he had no clue himself. I suppose Arceus knew this day would eventually arrive, but I highly doubt he thought it would arrive this soon after the war.

It has only been a week since the war took place, and now this bigger threat makes its appearance. Now that I think about it, perhaps I do have a purpose in this world now. Arceus spared my life for a good reason, and that is to return to the living world and investigate.

There is a rumor floating around that Giratina has followers in the living world. There are not a lot, but the rumors say that they have their eyes on the Eternal Spirit Blade. Arceus told me that as soon as I enter the living world, Snivy, Mienfoo, Audino, and Maractus would regain their memory of me, but not the memory of me being Darkrai's apprentice.

He also told me that he summoned two other humans into the Pokemon World. I just wish he could bring back Mitchell, but the rules of the two worlds are clear. Since Mitchell has completed his main role as a Pokemon, he can no longer return to the Pokemon World.

Of course, there is a chance he could, but that would mean taking a huge chance with the force wall that separates our world from the Human World. Well, it appears I am about to enter the living world. I am rather nervous to see everyone again. I hope my guilt will not consume me once I see Mienfoo again. Mienfoo… I am coming to see you once more. I hope you will be happy to see me, too.

* * *

Zorua exits the portal from the sky and is slowly falling toward the land. Thanks to the darkness of the night, no one should be able to see the black portal or Zorua for that matter. The fox is wearing a red scarf around his neck; the tails of the scarf are long enough to where they reach down to his paws.

He gazes at his surroundings as he slowly descends, looking at the snow-covered forest of trees surrounding him, along with the giant mountain that Arceus once claimed as his home. Now it is just a plain mountain with nothing special at its summit. As soon as his feet touch the ground, he quickly transforms his body into that of a Riolu.

However, with this transformation, the only thing the transforming fox cannot change is his eye color. Usually, a Riolu's eyes are the color red, but this transformation has blue eyes.

He looks at his paws and thinks with a look of sadness, 'Mitchell… I am sorry I have to take on your appearance, but this is for the good of the mission,' he looks straight down at the forest path and continues after clenching his paws into fist and a serious expression in his eyes, 'the first thing I need to do is head over to Somnium Village. That is where Mienfoo and the others now as we speak. Once I get there, I must make sure to revert back to my normal form.'

He takes a breath and attempts to release any tensions within his body. He lets out a relieving sigh and starts his run through the forest path that leads to the Somnium Village.

* * *

Arceus is looking down at Zorua from his world, watching as the transformed fox runs through the snow. "_Father,_" Palkia says, "_Is this the reason why you saved him from the explosion during the final clash between him and Mitchell?_"

Arceus replies while still keeping his eyes on the fox, "_I am sure if he died during that war, he would be sent back to Hell with Darkrai and Giratina. I could not let him suffer through that torment, for it was not his fault entirely that he joined Darkrai's forces. Besides, now that Darkrai is gone, Zorua will be able to live with himself far easier than before. You remember how frantic he was when we brought him back here, right?_"

The thought of how Zorua acted back then made the space-dragon shudder, "_I do remember… trust me, I would rather forget about that chaotic event. That battle between you and that little fox… I still cannot get it out of my head. It was as though you were battling Darkrai…_"

The alpha Pokemon turns his gaze to his son and says, "_It's because of the Yin Spirit Blade that was once within his soul. Darkrai transferred a part of his soul into the Yin Spirit Blade, which turned Zekrom into a hellish monster. When Zekrom was freed of the dark energy, Zorua's ended up being the unlucky one to wield the madness energy. I will say this… he did put up a fearsome battle._"

The alpha Pokemon looks back at Zorua from above and says before losing himself in that unforgettable battle, "_He actually made me fear for my own life. Darkrai put him through so much hell; he became something that should be feared._" Arceus closes his eyes and recalls the moment when he dove into the explosion and saved the fox.

* * *

_Lucario unleashes the God's Arrow and pierces the demented Zoroark through the heart. The arrow is sticking out his chest; a golden chain is wrapped around the end of the arrow and is wrapped around the aura-user's wrist._

Arceus looks at the two with a look of surprise in his eyes, watching as the two friends exchange their final words. As soon as Lucario fires his Force Palm through the chain and attacking Zoroark's heart, the alpha Pokemon thinks with a look of sadness, 'It appears this is the end for both Mitchell and Zoroark. As soon as those two disappear, the Yin and Yang Spirit Blades will once again combine into the Eternal Spirit Blade. Reshiram and Zekrom will be free from my aura and Darkrai's. It's finally over.'

As the spirit blades form out of the two wielders, a troubled thought enters the god Pokemon's mind, 'I know I should be happy that Zoroark can finally rest in peace and Mitchell can finally return to the human world, but why do I feel like this is far from over?'

After the explosion starts and pushes the crazed Darkrai away and back into his own dimension, Arceus thinks as he stands his ground, 'As long as I am still here, I might as well save Zoroark from the fate he has been dealt with in the spirit world. If I don't get him now, he will be sent back to Hell!"

As he forces his way through the shockwaves of the explosion, he hears a familiar voice say in his mind that filled the alpha Pokemon with dread, "Father, I am coming for you!"

The explosion's shockwaves tries to push the alpha Pokemon back with all its might, but Arceus does whatever he can to keep going. 'No… it cannot be him! It is just as I thought… this is far from over!'

A look of surprise shows in his eyes as he sees a powerful red glow coming from Zoroark's body. The god's arrow has vanished from his chest, but he is far from being the same Zoroark before Mitchell disappeared.

His eyes are pulsing red and he is growling menacingly like a deranged monster. 'What the devil is going on?!' Arceus thought, 'How is he still releasing such evil energy after being pierced by the God's Arrow?!'

As the demonic Zoroark turns his gaze at Arceus, the god Pokemon thinks before grabbing him and dragging him back with him into the heaven world, 'It looks like I have no other choice but to take you back with me. I must free you from this before your soul is gone for good!'

The two fly through the air and are sent into Arceus's world, where the ultimate battle between light and dark energies strike. Arceus and Zoroark reappear on the summit of Arceus's mountain in the heaven world. Before the battle starts, Arceus quickly sets up a barrier to prevent any casualties to his followers.

The Pokemon of Heaven watch from the other side of the barrier as Arceus and Zoroark prepare to fight. Arceus stands his ground and mutters a chant, "In the name of the Holy Mountain, I shall vanquish the evil energy that is within your soul. I shall free you from the darkness, by providing light for you to follow!"

Zoroark lets out a ferocious howl and charges straight toward the God Pokemon. He watches as the dark-red energy boils out of the demonic fox's body, taking on the partial form of Darkrai himself.

Arceus inhales deeply and fires a mighty Hyper Beam from his mouth, engulfing the crazed fox within its destructive force.

Zoroark, along with the destructive beam, smacks against the barrier, making the fox bounce back through the Hyper Beam and back toward Arceus once more. While flying through the beam, Zoroark sharpens his claws and charges up a Night Slash attack.

Arceus stands his ground and says, "I see through your attempt, child! You cannot fool me with such an attack like…!"

His eyes widen with surprise as he feels a sharp pain shooting through his left-back leg. He turns his head toward the source of the pain and sees the fox standing there with its dark blade pierced through the god's leg.

As soon as the fox vanishes from where he stood, the god Pokemon loses strength in his back leg. The fox Pokemon reappears in front of the God Pokemon and stabs another Night Slash through his front-left leg.

Arceus grunts in pain and falls onto his side. Zoroark pulls out the Night Slash blade out of the god's leg and disappears once more.

As Arceus struggles to stand up, he thinks with a pained look, 'I shouldn't be having this much trouble. Why is it that I am not able to counter his attacks?' He tries to get back up on all fours, until the demented fox appears right in front of his face.

Arceus tried to move away, but Zoroark grabs ahold of the god Pokemon's face and stares him dead in the eyes.

As Arceus gazes into Zoroark's eyes, he thinks as he feels something burning within his body, 'I see… so that is your next plan, huh?' Arceus quickly summons forth the Flame Plate from thin air and transfers it into his body, turning from normal-type to fire-type. Arceus glares back and yells, "You really think the Nightmare Stare will work on me? If that is what you think, then you are gravely mistaken!"

He opens his mouth and launches a mighty Hyper Beam attack at point-blank range, sending Zoroark flying away toward the nearest wall. He stands up straight and says after using Recover to close his wounds, "You had your fun, but now it is my turn!"

Zoroark reappears behind the god Pokemon and attempts to attack again, until Arceus catches him off guard by firing off thousands of light energy into the air from the yellow-ring like figure that surrounds his torso.

The crazed fox stops in his tracks and watches as the thousands of arrows rise to the heavens and charge straight toward him at top speeds.

Arceus says as the arrows pierce Zoroark, "If one God's Arrow does not do the trick, than perhaps a thousand of them will take care of Darkrai's madness energy once and for all!"

Zoroark struggles to break free from the arrows, but he cannot move his body at all. Each arrow has a chain at the ends of them, which are connected to the yellow-ring.

Arceus says the chant that will free Zoroark from Darkrai's energy, "I, Arceus, ruler of Heaven, shall free you, Zoroark, from the dark clutches of Darkrai. You are hereby free from his shadowy chains that engulf your heart. Now, I banish the evil from your soul!"

Each arrow starts to glow, engulfing the barrier within a blinding light. Besides and Pokemon of Heaven, Palkia and Dialga are watching the battle with concern, hoping that their father has calmed the raging beast.

With the final howl of the crazed fox, the red glow within the blinding light vanishes without a trace. The light vanishes, allowing the Pokemon to see the results of the battle. In the place of the mad beast is a passed out Zorua. The God's Arrows have disappeared from the fox, along with the barrier that separated the Heaven Pokemon from him.

As the heaven Pokemon cheer for Arceus's victory, the god Pokemon looks down at Zorua and thinks, 'As much as I hate to admit it… I could not get all of that madness aura out of his soul. If I went any further with that attack, he could have been gone for good. That aura is a part of your soul now; there is nothing more I can do for you.

'

_As Arceus is about to leave the area so he can let him rest, Zorua mutters softly even though he is still passed out, "I-I am sorry…"_

_The god Pokemon looks over his shoulder and sees a single tear roll down the poor fox's cheek. _

* * *

Arceus opens his eyes after the flashback and says to Palkia, "_I may have freed him from most of Darkrai's madness energy, but I'm afraid I could not get it all out. It appears Zorua is going to have to endure the painful memories over and over again._"

Palkia asks with concern, "_Father… are you sure you made the right choice by sending Zorua out there like this? Aren't you worried that Darkrai's madness aura will grow once more and try to devour his soul?_"

Arceus faces his son and replies, "_I understand your concern, Palkia. But we have no choice in the matter. As long as I am sealed away in this world, I cannot possibly contact the two humans who entered this world. Only Zorua has the knowledge of the war and what is about to happen. Besides,_"

he looks back into the living world and sees Zorua entering Somnium Village, "_I have faith in Zorua. I am sure he knows what he is doing. With Mienfoo by his side once more, I have no doubts whatsoever._"

* * *

**Author's Note**_  
_

I decided to go for a change of pace. I will not be making my return into this story anytime soon. For this story arc, it is mostly going to focus on Zorua and the others. It also seems like Mienfoo, Maractus, and Audino are going to get more action than they did before during the War between Heaven and Hell. I am hoping to give Zorua a far more interesting and dramatic story than I did before when I tried to make a sequel. Expect more dark drama for this poor Zorua as the madness energy does what it can to spread more and become more powerful. Now that I think about it, I suppose I should go ahead and give a brief status update for Zorua at the moment, at least that way you all will know how strong he currently is and know what abilities he is capable of. Alright... let's get to know Zorua more.

**Author: **Zorua, I need to speak with you for a few moments!  
**  
Zorua: **Why do you need me now? I am currently on an important assignment.

**Author:** I know, I am sorry, but I need you for just a few moments.

**Zorua: **Alrighty... I guess for a few minutes. Now, what is it that you want?

**Author: **I feel as if the readers and myself do now know you as well as we did before. There is no question that you went through a few changes, which is why I am going to give you this piece of paper and pen to write down your status information.

**Zorua: **Is that so? Well, than... *transforms into Riolu* Let's get this started.

**Author:** *hands over pen and paper* I will give you a moment to write everything down.

*fifteen minutes later*

**Zorua: **All set. May I go ahead and get back to what I was doing?

**Author: ***looks over the paper* Yes, you may get going.

*Zorua leaves*

**Author: **Alrighty, well here is what we know so far...

Zorua

Attacks: Night Slash, Double Team, Toxic, Shadow Ball  
Abilities: Impostor and Nightmare Stare  
Hobbies: Likes to impersonate other Pokemon and cause mischief  
Likes: Being with his Friends  
Dislikes: Being tricked, harming his friends, losing his loved ones  
Crush: Mienfoo

**Author: **If there is anything else you all would like to know about Zorua or any of the other characters, please let me know in the review. I am not sure how long it will be until the next chapter will be up, but it would be lovely to hear what you all have in mind of this story continuing. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy what's to come. Take care, everyone.


	35. Chapter 35: Unforgotten Memory

Chapter 35: The Never Forgotten Memory

The snow begins to fall heavily as soon as the transformed fox enters the village of Somnium. He stands at the entrance, trying his best to catch his breath before he continues his venture. Strangely enough to the fox, there are no Pokemon wandering the village. Perhaps everyone is inside since there is supposed to be a severe snowstorm coming their way.

As soon as the fox catches his breath, he transforms back into his normal self. With each breath he took, he could see his own breath exit his mouth and nose and rise into the air where it vanishes like a lone phantom. The temperature steadily drops with each passing minute; the fox shivers instantly from a sudden gust of wind. After he sneezes and inhales the dripping snot back into his nostrils, he continues his venture through the village, trying to find the log cabin that his friends are currently staying.

The village reminds the cold fox of his old home where he, Mienfoo, and the others once called home. Pleasant memories flow into his mind as he pictures the life he and his friends had before his hellish life began. He stops in his tracks and sees a cabin standing in the dead center of the village. The cabin is about two stories high. Smoke flows out of the chimney, indicating that there are indeed Pokemon currently living inside. According to the information that was given to him by Arceus, indeed this cabin contains Snivy and the others.

He stands in front of the door, but he freezes in place. A look of fear shows in his eyes as his memories of the dark past flood back into his mind. His heart rate rises rapidly and he is on the verge of hyperventilating as he pictures the moments he had killed his best friends. He can feel the madness energy steadily building up as the mental pictures flood his mind.

He shuts his eyes tightly and tells himself in his mind, 'It is not like that anymore… you are not that Pokemon anymore!' However, the memories get worse, causing him to back away from the door slowly. Before he takes another step back, he stops himself and says while slowly opening his eyes, 'I must calm myself down. Everything is okay… just stay calm.'

He feels the tension in his body loosen and the madness within his soul dropping. As soon as the energy has calmed significantly, he walks back toward the door and does whatever he can to knock on the door. A voice calls out from the other side, "Who is it?"

A look of surprise shows in the fox's eyes, for he knows whose voice that belongs. His heart rate rises once more, but not due to anxiety. No, this is the beating of a heart that longs for love. He answers in a nervous way, "I-it's me, Zorua. May I come in?" He hears a gasp from the female voice, but the door does not open. 'I do not know how to explain it, but,' the fox thinks with concern, 'why do I have such a bad feeling right now?'

Another voice calls from the other side of the door, "Are you really the Zorua that we know?"

The voice belongs to Audino, but she sounds does not sound happy at all, which concerns him deeply. "Who else could it be, Audino," the fox answers, "I am the Zorua you all know."

Another voice answers in a serious tone, "Are you really? The Zorua we once knew has been dead for quite some time."

A look of surprise shows in his eyes when he hears Maractus say those words. 'Impossible… do they still have their memory after all? Was Arceus wrong about the memory being gone from everyone's minds?' Fear wells up within his soul as he stands his ground, trying to think of what to say in a situation like this.

Before he can come up with an answer, Mienfoo's voice asks, "If you are indeed the Zorua we all know, than tell me something that only you and I would know."

He stares at the door blankly, trying to fight back the madness energy that is desperately trying to break free from his heart. After he gets himself back together and does his best to relieve the tension in his body, he answers her question. As he answers, however, a gust of wind blows through the village, making it difficult to tell what he is saying from a distance.

After he speaks his secret that only he and Mienfoo would know, the door opens slowly. Standing before him is his trio of friends. Mienfoo is smiling at him with tears of happiness flowing down her cheeks, but Audino and Maractus are keeping a watchful eye on the fox.

Zorua smiles happily at Mienfoo and says, "It is great to see you all again." Mienfoo escorts him into the cabin, while Audino and Maractus shut the door behind them. He lets out a sigh of relief as he feels the heat welcome him with a warming embrace.

They enter the living room, and what was waiting for him inside surprises him. Snivy is sitting by the fireplace, along with Kirlia and Kirlio. The trio is staring at the fox in a serious manner. Audino and Maractus take their seats, while Mienfoo holds Zorua close to her, escorting him to the center of the living room.

Even with Mienfoo by his side, he looks down at the floor with a look of guilt in his eyes. The only sound that is filling the silence is the crackling of the fire in the fireplace. He tries to gaze into Snivy's eyes, but he quickly glances back down, for he knows that the eyes of no-trust are staring at him.

Snivy says seriously, "How is it possible that you have returned to this world? I thought Mitchell finished you off during the last war."

He gazes at the snake with confusion and asks, "How is it possible that you all still have your memories? Arceus told me that the memories of the war have left your minds."

She answers, "Do you really expect us to believe that Arceus told you that? I am sure that is not true, coming from the apprentice of Darkrai."

He shuts his eyes tightly and tries to hold back his cry. Frustration wells up within him, for he does not like to be known as Darkrai's apprentice.

Before he can say a word, he hears Maractus say in a serious tone, "Do you remember the question I asked you earlier, Zorua? I asked if you were the same Zorua that we all knew."

He glances over at her, wondering why she brought that up.

Audino says, "What we meant by that question is are you the Zorua that we all knew and loved, or are you still Darkrai's apprentice?"

He glances at her with a pained expression, for he knew that they do not trust him at all. He looks at Mienfoo, wondering if she has doubts about him, too. He gazes back at Snivy as she asks, "So, what is your answer, Zorua? Who are you?"

He looks down at the floor and answers with a shaky voice, "I… I understand why you all do not trust me. If I were in your places, I probably would have doubts about myself too."

He closes his eyes and continues while trying to keep his cool, "I did a lot of horrible things in the past as Darkrai's apprentice. I was blinded by the power of the Hell Spirit Blade. I lost myself and became something I wish I could destroy. However,"

he opens his eyes, reveals the pupils of the Nightmare Stare, and continues, "I am indeed no longer Darkrai's apprentice, but I can see why you all have doubts about that. Because of Darkrai's remaining energy within my soul, I give off the presence of a bloodthirsty demon. If I were in your place, I would feel hatred toward me, too."

His eyes revert to normal as he continues, "Lord Arceus saved me from the blast during the final confrontation between Mitchell and I. To be honest, I was ready to die during that time. When Arceus saved me, he told me that I still have a purpose in this world."

Tears well down from his eyes as he continues, "When he first saved me, I hated him for it. I killed you all once under the influence of Darkrai and the madness energy. I could not forgive myself and wanted to die because of what I have done. I was not myself… I allowed the hellish energy to take control of me. Your deaths still haunt my mind, and yet here you all are now."

He gazes at each of them for a few seconds, letting them know that what he is about to say is toward them all. "I am doing everything I can to repent for my sins. I will not put it against any of you if you do not trust me. I will not blame you if you all decide to feel that way. However," Zorua raises his voice and says, "I will do whatever I can to get you all to trust me again. I will do whatever it takes to…"

Before he could finish his sentence, a look of surprise shows in his eyes when he hears Arceus's voice say, "_Zorua… I hope you will forgive me for this._"

Mienfoo holds Zorua closer to her and she plants a kiss on his cheek.

He blushes deeply as Mienfoo continues her kiss on his cheek.

After she moves her lips away from his cheek, she says with a happy expression, "We do forgive you, Zorua."

He looks at everyone else, who are returning him a smile. "I do not understand," the fox says, "what just happened?"

Snivy answers after standing up, "Lord Arceus explained to us what is going on before you arrived. We were putting you through a test, Zorua. I am glad to say that you have passed."

Arceus says in Zorua's mind, "_I am sorry that I lied to you, Zorua. I wanted to test your trust towards one another. You gave your truthful answer, and gained everyone's trust back. I hope you can forgive me for putting you through this…_"

Zorua replies with tears of happiness flowing down his cheek, "I-I am just glad that everyone is back in my life again…"

As he cries, Mienfoo holds him close, doing her best to comfort him.

After the fox finally manages to calm down, Snivy says that catches his attention, "Zorua, now that we know we can trust you, I want you to explain everything to us. I want you to fill us in with as much information you can about the Underworld and Darkrai."

The fox looks at the snake with confusion and asks, "But didn't Arceus tell you that Darkrai is not the true ruler of the Underworld? Did he explain that his son, Giratina, is back as the complete ruler?"

Snivy nods her head solemnly and answers, "I am aware, but who can really say that we won't have to fight Darkrai again? Remember, Pokemon cannot die in the afterlife, whether that afterlife is Heaven or Hell."

An uneasy feeling takes over the fox as he thinks of the possibility that he may have to fight against Darkrai, the Pokemon who made the poor fox's life a living hell. He says with a solemn expression, "I will tell you all everything I know."

* * *

While Zorua explains to his friends everything he knows about the Underworld and Darkrai, Giratina is setting up his own plan. Ever since he returned to the Underworld, the structure has been completely twisted and distorted. The laws of gravity no longer matter in the Underworld, nor the laws of physics. Lava-falls are flowing upwards to a pool of lava overhead. The entire structure is no longer the same when Darkrai took over.

Giratina flies through his distorted Underworld to a piece of land that contains the two spirit blades he currently has: The Nightmare Spirit Blade and the Death Spirit Blade.

The lord of the Underworld says while his eyes glow bright red, "_Yvetal, Darkrai, I must speak with you two._"

The two swords float up in the air and release holographic images of the two legendary Pokemon. Yvetal stands before Giratina, completely under the dragon's control, while Darkrai crosses his arms and glares at the dragon, "_It seems you are a tough Pokemon to take control of, Darkrai._"

The nightmare Pokemon answers while holding back his rage, "I am not interested in what you have planned, Giratina. You wish to bring in a greater power that could potentially destroy all worlds? It is certainly a screwed up plan."

"_What differences could you possibly make," Giratina says, "it does not matter if you like my plan or not. You are now nothing more than a piece for my plan. Besides,_" Darkrai cries out in pain as he feels his whole body burning live before, "_sooner or later, you will be my puppet once more. You will lose your will one way or another._"

As Darkrai's muscles and bones start to appear, he yells in anger, "You think I will lose my will to fight? You really think you can keep me in check like this?!"

A look of surprise shows in the dragon's eyes as he sees the Nightmare Stare taking form in Darkrai's eyes, "You seem to have forgotten one thing, Giratina. You trapped me like this once before, but I found my way out. I suppose now is as good a time as any!"

Within a matter of moments, the Nightmare Spirit Blade shatters into many pieces. Standing in its place is Darkrai, in the flesh. The nightmare Pokemon glares at the dragon and says, "You may have gotten control over Yvetal, but you will never destroy my ambitions!"

Giratina lets out a mighty roar, commanding all of his followers to his side and to surround Darkrai.

As the masses gather instantly, Giratina says after laughing menacingly at the nightmare Pokemon's attempt, "_You are certainly a damned fool, Darkrai. You may have escaped the seal, but you have nowhere to run. Did you forget that leaving this world is impossible at the moment?_"

As the army of demons closes the gap, Darkrai answers, "Who ever said that I do not have a backup plan for such an occasion like that?" The nightmare Pokemon pulls out a pouch from the shadows and raises it over his head.

"_What the hell is that supposed to be?_" asks the ruler of the Underworld.

The nightmare Pokemon answers as the pouch vanishes from his hand and in its place a strange key, "My escape…"

As the key glows brightly, Giratina yells to his minion, "_Seize him before he has the chance to escape!_"

The demons pounce toward Darkrai, but the nightmare Pokemon vanishes into thin air without a trace, leaving Giratina and a pile of demons behind in the distorted Underworld. After the demons clear the way and confirm that the nightmare Pokemon is gone, Giratina lets loose an enraged roar.

* * *

It is now nighttime in the living world. In the middle of a snow covered forest lies Darkrai, who is unconscious in the snow. He still holds the strange key in his hand.

The key is about the size of a quarter. The blade of the black and purple key has a bizarre shape to it, as if it were a vine with many thorns.

The nightmare Pokemon regains his strength and thinks while trying to stand up, 'I managed to escape, but at the cost of most of my power. I feel… very weak.'

The key disappears into thin air and he continues as he staggers through the snow, 'I… must get my strength back. I… got to get as far away from here as possible.'

Within moments of walking, he disappears into the shadows to keep his presence from being felt.

The nightmare Pokemon is getting close to the village of dreams: Somnium Village.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Author:** It appears Darkrai has made his escape. I made this decision to bring him back into the story, for there are still many things we do not know about this nightmare Pokemon. Who knows, he may have an interesting background story.

**Darkrai: **I have no interest in helping the Underworld anymore. With Giratina in the picture, I have no chance of winning.

**Author: **Would it be okay if I can ask what your background story was like? Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself?

**Darkrai: **No... I do not have enough strength to tell a story at the moment. Using that key took almost all of my power. I have to regain my strength...

**Author: **Okay... will you at least fill out this status report about yourself, such as your current strength, attacks, and abilities?

**Darkrai:** I suppose I can... *writes down information*

*five minutes later*

**Darkrai: **Alright, here you go. Now, I must be going. *leaves*

**Author: **Alright... let's go ahead and see what we currently know about the ex-ruler of the Underworld...

**Name: **Darkrai

**Attacks: **Dark Pulse, Dark Void, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater  
**Abilities: **Nightmare and Nightmare Stare  
**Hobbies: **Writing poetry about the darkness in every heart, Shadow Puppet Play  
**Future Plan: **No comment


End file.
